Trace Adkins has spoken openly about the February 1994 shooting by his then-wife Julie Curtis — and why, more than three decades later, he holds no grudge against her.
Appearing on the podcast This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von, the country singer revisited one of the most harrowing events of his life with a matter-of-fact calm. On Feb. 21, 1994, Curtis shot Adkins at point-blank range during a domestic argument, the bullet passing clean through his heart and lungs. He survived, never pressed charges, and says he has since forgiven her entirely.
Why Adkins Says He Forgave Her
When host Theo Von asked whether Curtis had ever apologized, Adkins confirmed she had — but said forgiveness came less from the apology than from his own read of her intentions. “I don’t think she meant to do it, man. I don’t think she thought she was gonna hurt me. She thought I was indestructible,” he told Von. He added that he believed Curtis had little real familiarity with firearms despite owning one, saying he felt she didn’t fully grasp what pulling the trigger would do. “Thought it was a toy,” he said.
Adkins has been candid over the years about his struggles with alcohol, and he confirmed to Von that the argument with Curtis that night grew out of a drinking binge. She wanted him to leave. When he tried to take the gun from her, she fired. “She put it under my left arm and the bullet came out under my right arm,” he recounted. “That’s how it went through.”
A ‘Kill Shot’ and a Long Recovery
The wound was nearly fatal. Adkins was airlifted to Vanderbilt by life flight helicopter and underwent emergency surgery. His doctor later told him the only reason he survived was the physics of a point-blank shot — the bullet traveled at muzzle velocity, leaving no time to mushroom, and passed straight through rather than fragmenting. “It was a kill shot,” Adkins said plainly.
The trauma surgery itself was brutal. “They just cut you and crack you open,” he told Von. “They stretch everything and break stuff. They’re just trying to get to your heart and save your life.” He credited the life flight crew and Vanderbilt staff with keeping him alive. Six months after the incident, he underwent open heart surgery again, and he continues to receive regular checkups to monitor his heart health.
Despite everything, Adkins managed to find some dark humor in the retelling, joking that his ex-wife’s decision to shoot him was “a little far” and “uncalled for.” For fans following Adkins’ career and personal story, the interview offers a rare, unguarded look at an episode that could have ended his life before it truly began.
