Who Is Wynonna Judd's Husband?
Wynonna Judd and husband Scott 'Cactus' Moser.
Country music is a genre known for its tales of heartbreak, but Wynonna Judd found lasting love more than a decade ago—within the music industry, no less.
Wynonna first met now-husband Scott “Cactus” Moser in the 1980s while she was touring with her late mother, Naomi Judd, as one half of The Judds. “He had a mullet!” Wynonna recalled during a 2014 interview with HuffPost. (Moser begged to differ, countering that the look was a “beautiful feathered hairdo.”)
Moser felt a spark, but for Wynonna, dating a coworker—who also worked for her mom—wasn’t exactly an enticing prospect. The duo parted ways, but they stayed in touch as their respective music careers kept them busy for the next two decades.
The pair finally reconnected in 2009 after multiple marriages, divorces and kids. They got engaged two years later, and in 2012, exchanged vows at Wynonna’s home in Tennessee.
“Them together is kind of a fun thing to watch,” Moser’s daughter, Sunshine, said in the 2023 documentary Wynonna Judd: Between Hell and Hallelujah. “They’re the couple that everybody wants to be.”
Keep reading for everything we know about Cactus Moser:
Who is Wynonna Judd married to now?
Wynonna Judd is married to Scott “Cactus” Moser, who was formerly the drummer for the band Highway 101 and now tours with his wife. A successful musician in his own right, he’s earned two Grammy nominations and won two CMA Awards and two ACM Awards with Highway 101.
“He’s part of the backbone of the band,” Judd told Us Weekly of her husband in 2012. “I call him Animal because he attacks the drums, he doesn’t just play.”
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How did Wynonna Judd meet her husband?
While Judd and Moser didn’t start dating until 2009, they met for the first time in the 1980s. At the time, Moser was touring with Wynonna and her late mother, Naomi Judd, who died by suicide in April 2022. “I was smitten then, [but] when you're touring with your mother, it’s kind of hard to get a date,” Wynonna recalled to Us in 2012. “So, we went our separate ways.”
They kept in touch over the years and finally reconnected in 2009, at which point they started dating. “He’s the most tough and tender man I’ve ever been with that I trust,” Wynonna told People in October 2022. “We are so connected. It’s crazy how connected we are. I trust him with my life—which, I can't always say that about men in my life.”
When did Wynonna Judd and Cactus Moser get married?
Wynonna and Moser tied the knot on June 10, 2012, after getting engaged on Christmas Eve 2011. Their wedding took place at Wynonna’s home in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee.
Two months after the ceremony, Moser was severely injured in a motorcycle crash in Deadwood, South Dakota. Moser’s injuries required the amputation of his left leg above the knee. “I went from Wyonna the singer to Wynonna the wife, the nurse, the cook, the driver,” Wynonna told The Boot in November 2012. “We’re talking real down-in-the-trenches, hardcore stuff that you don’t really think you’re gonna have to go to [in a marriage].”
Wynonna, who was riding a separate bike at the time of the crash, initially didn’t know whether her husband had survived the accident. “I remember standing over Cactus, wondering whether he was alive or not,” she told Us in March 2013. “I kept saying to myself, ‘Be calm, be calm.’ … I just stood there, trying to make sense of it all.”
How old is Wynonna Judd’s husband?
Wynonna and Moser are relatively close in age. Moser was born on May 3, 1957, making him 66. Wynonna, now 59, was born on May 30, 1964.
How long have Wynonna Judd and her husband been together?
Wynonna and Moser have been together since 2009. In June 2023, they celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary. Moser has been there for some of the darkest moments in Wynonna’s life, including her mother’s death. Naomi died by suicide at age 76 on April 30, 2022—the day before The Judds were set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
After Naomi’s death, Wynonna said that Moser was her biggest source of support. “He will take me by my hands and say, ‘Honey, you’ve done your best.’ And I start to cry,” she told People in October 2022. “And he’s right. I’ve done my best. He helps me to give myself a break, because I’ll try to be really eloquent or I’ll try to say something brilliant or try to come up with the right answer and he’ll say, ‘Honey? Stop. Take a breath.’”
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Who else has Wynonna Judd been married to?
Before she began her relationship with Moser, Wynonna was married twice.
Arch Kelley III
She married her first husband, businessman Arch Kelley III, in 1995. At the time, the duo were already the parents of son Elijah, who was born in 1994. Wynonna and Kelley later welcomed daughter Grace in 1996. (Moser, for his part, has three children of his own: Sunshine, Cahl, and Wyatt.)
D.R. Roach
After divorcing Kelley in 1998, Wynonna moved on with D.R. Roach, who had worked as her bodyguard. Wynonna and Roach tied the knot on Nov. 22, 2003. Wynonna filed for divorce in March 2007, five days after Roach was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual battery against a minor. “I am obviously devastated,” Wynonna said in a statement at the time. “Our family will pull together, begin the healing process and hopefully—by the grace of God—become stronger.” (Roach was later convicted and sentenced to prison.)
