Jana Kramer, most widely known for her role on the popular TV show One Tree Hill, recently shared a post on Instagram about her history of falling victim to domestic abuse, and how she’s managed to overcome the subsequent negativity and shame that threatened her mental well-being.
Kramer, a woman of range, has starred in multi-million dollar franchises along with made-for-TV Hallmark movies, manages a popular podcast, and has had success over the past decade in the country music scene. Jana Kramer married Mike Caussin, an ex-NFL player, in 2015 and began to build a life with him, buying a house together and having two kids within the 5-year marriage.
She recently finalized her divorce from Mike this past July after years of sharing details with her fans about their rocky relationship, frequent dishonesty, and Mike’s infidelity and sex addiction.
After filing for divorce in April, Jana Kramer made a heartfelt statement about the toxicity of the marriage despite the amount of effort she had put forth.
“I’ve fought y’all. I’ve loved hard. I’ve forgiven. I’ve put the work in. I’ve given everything I have, and now I have nothing else to give,” Kramer wrote via Instagram. “I just can’t fight any longer. It’s time to heal. Thank you for all the love, heart, and support, in many ways you have fought on this journey alongside me, and for that I am grateful. I’ll always encourage you to continue the good fight, but you can’t fight it alone.”
In Jana’s recent Instagram post, she cites that she was “emotionally abused in past relationships” but does not clarify which partners she is referencing. Opening up about her first husband, it seems that Kramer has had a long and abusive road through romantic turmoil. She admitted that her first husband, Michael Gambino, regularly choked and beat her, and eventually landed himself in prison for attempted murder after a fight that left Kramer unconscious and bleeding in the driveway. Two years after being released from prison, Gambino committed suicide.
“I allowed certain behaviors to continue on because I actually believed the negative voices in my head that were spoken to me,” Jana Kramer began on Instagram on September 27, 2021. “All the words and abuse equaled, I’m not enough. And I’m not worthy of love. For years I’ve repeated patterns, fallen into the trap of believing those voices, hurting myself, and hurting others because of my desire to be chosen, to be enough. And I’ve fallen for the same abuse in a relationship because it’s what I thought I deserved.”
Despite Jana Kramer’s turbulent and traumatic relationship history, she manages to end her post with a positive message for other women, and ended her statement with a call to action: Now is the time to grow, learn, HEAL, and love ourselves. We are enough. You are enough. I am enough. ‘I’m done with voices in my head.’ Tag me with ur negative voices and then let me see the positive ones and #voicesinmyhead. Let me see on TikTok too!!! I’ll repost! Let’s choose to believe the positive voices.”
Many fans found the confession brave and inspiring, leaving messages of support and comments about their similar experiences. The country artist recently released a song called “Voices,” which is a narrative on domestic violence, the battles we’re all fighting every single day, ignoring the “negative voices”, and the importance of keeping a positive outlook on the future.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the hotline at 1.800.799.7233.