Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus Says Sober Joe Don Rooney Is 'Completely Different Person' 3 Years After Drunk Driving Accident

Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus says his bandmate Joe Don Rooney is a changed man after more than three years of sobriety.

DeMarcus, who plays bass for the beloved country group, opened up about the ways sobriety has changed Rooney — who in 2021 was arrested for DUI — for the better in a new interview with the Taste of Country Nights podcast.

“Sober Joe Don is incredible,” DeMarcus, 53, said. “I have to say I’m so proud of him for what he’s been through and how he’s been able to overcome.”

The bassist said that while Rooney, 49, would say “it’s still a process every day,” things have changed for the guitarist, who has previously been open about his struggles with alcoholism and who served two days in jail following his DUI.

“I’ve seen him turn into a completely different person, it’s an unbelievable metamorphosis,” DeMarcus said. “He is so zoned-in now, and so lucid and so intentional about everything that he does, and I’m so proud to see him in such a healthy space. It’s really, really cool.”

Rooney reflected on his sobriety in a lengthy note shared to X in January 2024, in which he reflected on the aftermath of his arrest and expressed gratitude for his sobriety. The star was arrested in September 2021 after crashing his vehicle into a tree line in Franklin, Tenn. He pleaded guilty in June 2022, and was sentenced to two days in jail.

“I am finally healthy and ready for the world,” he wrote at the time. “[I was] so far gone with my life [at the time of the arrest] — I was completely out of control and finished with trying to fight the fears, depression and anxieties that had spun me out in a way I’ve never experienced before.”

“My drinking had been an issue for many years - and as they say in AA and treatment, it’s a progressive disease,” he continued. “I am living proof that the progressive nature of drinking can really ratchet up and as I grew older as an adult my drinking grew worse.”

Rooney wrote that the pressures of his career and various mistakes he’d made in his marriage to ex-wife Tiffany — with whom he settled a contentious divorce in September 2023 after nearly 20 years of marriage — as well as a “lot of pain and trauma” from his childhood and early adult life had reached a head.

“I never believed I could actually live my life without drinking. It had become such a huge part of my daily and nightly routine,” he wrote. “I learned that I had to come to the realization that I was powerless over alcohol — and a power much greater than myself (and much greater than alcohol) was the only way to stop drinking and completely restore my sanity. God intervened and helped me to get my life back.”

Rascal Flatts called it quits as a band in 2020 after COVID canceled their planned farewell tour. But in October, the group announced they’ll be reuniting for a 25th anniversary tour. They’ll hit the road on Feb. 13 and continue playing through April for 21 shows.

The “Stand” singers made their first appearance together since reuniting for President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 at the Commander in Chief Ball. They performed five songs. 

“I think we’re not as petty as we used to be about things that we blew up into big problems that were not that significant,” DeMarcus said on the podcast of reuniting. “I think it’s allowed us to take a step back and go, ‘You know, everybody has their quirks.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.