Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks recently said that former President Carter and his wife Rosalynn have “inspired” them in significant and small ways, including how they “bicker” in their marriage. Brooks told People Magazine, “They’ve inspired us in a lot of ways, in the ways you expect: humanity, humbleness, work ethic.”
He continued, “But they’ve also inspired us by their example as husband and wife. We worked beside them for the last 15 years, and you notice right away they bicker back and forth about the right way to do things. That kind of works for us, too!” Yearwood and Brooks have been married since 2005, and former President Carter and Rosalynn tied the knot in 1946.
The country power couple led the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Charlotte, North Carolina, a collaboration with Habitat for Humanity that has built more than 4,000 homes in 14 countries with more than 100,000 volunteers since it was founded in 1984. Yearwood told People Magazine, “To whom much is given, much is expected. We’ll never fill the Carters’ shoes, but we’re doing the best we can.” She said the couple “fell in love” with the work Habitat for Humanity does and with the Carters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2007.
She continued, “We knew we loved the Carters, and we fell more in love with them just getting a chance to work alongside them. We love what Habitat for Humanity is about: spreading love. It’s about creating community.” In 2018, the couple told Fox News Digital that Habitat for Humanity is the most “rewarding” work they’ve ever done. Yearwood said, “There are so many great organizations and ways for you to give back to your community. But actually getting inside the new home, getting your hands dirty, getting in there, that’s the most rewarding thing.”
Earlier this year, the Carters’ grandson, Josh Carter, told People they are in the “final chapter” of their lives, and Jimmy, who served as the 39th president, entered hospice in February. He added, “They lived their lives to the fullest.” The Carter Center said in February that the former president had decided to “spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention” after a series of short hospital stays. “He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.”
His grandson added, “He’s still fully Jimmy Carter. He’s just tired. I mean, he’s almost 99 years old, but he fully understands [how many well wishes he’s received] and has felt the love.” Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford told People he’s grateful to have Brooks and Yearwood to carry on the Carters’ “amazing legacy.” He said, “Garth and Trisha bring attention to the great need for affordable housing. They represent the hope and the joy of building community.”