Ree Drummond is always embracing change. The celebrity chef, who married Ladd Drummond in 1996, decided to take a huge leap of faith in her personal life recently that left fans completely shocked.
How Did Ree and Ladd Drummond Meet?
Ree met cattle rancher Ladd in Oklahoma during a night out. At the time, she was preparing to move to Chicago. Their strong connection kept her from moving away to the city as their romance continued to blossom.
After their wedding, Ree and Ladd jetted off on a honeymoon to Australia. They welcomed their first child, daughter Alex, nine months later. In the years that followed, the duo expanded their family with the arrival of kids Paige, Bryce and Todd.
In November 2020, Ree revealed she had been fostering a teen named Jamar for a year and a half.
“He’s larger than life, has a hilarious laugh and is extremely smart — both book and street,” she gushed over her foster son in a blog post. “He’s a great kid who’s overcome some difficulties in his life, not to mention a tough accident (and a foster mom who overfed him and unintentionally tried to turn him into a fly fisherman). Through a ton of determination, Jamar has excelled in football, and he’s already received a couple of college offers, with more sure to come in! I’m proud of the kid, and I can’t wait to see where life takes him.”
Jamar committed to playing football at the University of Central Oklahoma in February 2021.
Ree and Ladd Drummond pose together on a beach
Are Ree and Ladd Drummond Still Together?
Ree and Ladd are still together and celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary in September 2022. In a tribute to her husband on Instagram, Ree wrote, “26 years ago, I was about to get pregnant with our first child,” adding, “Today, I’m about to get a colonoscopy. I love you, Ladd.”
In September 2024, Ree shared a sweet post on her Instagram account to commemorate their 28th wedding anniversary.
“It has been an adventure, a roller coaster, a journey, an odyssey, and a blast. Not to mention fast!” she penned. “How can it be our 28th anniversary when we’re only 32? I love you, Ladd! And the kids. OMG, what if we hadn’t met?”
Why Did the Drummond Family Move?
In December 2021, Ree and Ladd shockingly decided to move out of their famous Oklahoma farmhouse and into a smaller house on their ranch. Their previous home served as the backdrop of The Pioneer Woman, Ree’s beloved Food Network show, which has featured her family in segments a number of times over the years.
”It wasn’t a charming 50-year-old house,” Ree admitted in an interview with People in May 2022. “We loved raising our kids in the house, but it had foundation problems and had developed a few problems that were going to be pretty overwhelming to fix.”
They decided to build a new home on their ranch property to move into. Ree documented the renovations on her Instagram page before revealing that the new house was completed in an April 2024 blog post. She and Ladd currently live in the new home together.
