Wynonna Judd is currently out on the road honoring her mother on The Judd’s Farewell Tour.
Her mother, the late, great Naomi Judd and other half of iconic The Judd’s duo, tragically passed away back in April, and it has understandably a very traumatic and horrific time for both of Naomi’s daughters.
Wynonna decided it was best to honor her mother by continuing with the tour, which was announced before Naomi passed, and she even recently extended the dates into 2023, along with openers like Martina McBride and Ashley McBryde.
And Wynonna recently sat down for an interview with Hoda and Jenna on TODAY to talk about the tragedy of this loss and how she’s dealing with everything, especially with all of her grieving being so public.
She says that it’s helped her understand that, even though she’s suffered an unimaginable and heartbreaking tragedy, everyone has a story to share with the world:
“Everyone’s got a story. Everybody’s got a story. And just when you think that your Hell is bigger than someone else’s, think again. ‘Cuz someone else has a story.”
Jenna asked her about performing with her mom at the CMT Awards in April of this year, which was ultimately their final performance together and the last time Wynonna ever saw her mother in person.
She says that she’s very grateful the last thing she ever said to Naomi was “I love you,” because they had a pretty tumultuous relationship at times throughout their legendary career:
“It’s strange. It’s really strange. That’s the part that’s weird, ‘cuz that’s the last time I saw her. And the last thing I said to her was ‘I love you.’ Which I’m grateful for that, ‘cuz that hasn’t always been the case.
And I’m looking at that thinking, it was not supposed to end that way and it did, and what am I gonna do? I’ve got a granddaughter, and I’ll tell her the good stuff. Because after someone dies, you start to remember the good.You just do, right?
You start to forgive and say, ‘Okay, I can let that go, ‘cuz it’s just different now.’ And I wake up everyday, and the glass is half full, and I used to sometimes have that day when you wake up and the glass is half empty and all that.
I think I’m just more grateful, ‘cuz I know it goes by so freakin’ fast. And it’s going faster, isn’t it?”
She also offered a little bit of life advice to people everywhere, and I think it’s a great reminder that, no matter what any of us are struggling with, we have to keep it all in perspective and give ourselves a break:
“Give yourself a break. Give yourself a break. That’s what I would tell people, if I had something to tell people.
I would say ‘Give yourself a break today. Because we’re doing the best we can with what we have.’ Don’t you think?”
Amen to that, Wynonna.
It means just a little bit more coming from her, and I am so impressed with how she’s handled all of this and shared her story with her fans.
It’s so important, and I can’t think of a more sincere person who has managed to turn this very sad time in her life into a meaningful and purposeful tool of connecting with people all over the world.
You can watch her full interview here, it’s definitely worth five minutes of your day:
Here’s the aforementioned performance of their 1990 hit “Love Can Build A Bridge” at the 2022 CMT Music Awards in April:
The Judds Farewell Tour extended dates:
January 26, 2023 – GIANT Center, Hershey, PA
January 28, 2023 – Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, CT
January 29, 2023 – DCU Center, Worcester, MA
February 2, 2023 – BOK Center, Tulsa, OK
February 3, 2023 – T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
February 4, 2023 – Hifetz Arena, St. Louis, MO
February 9, 2023 – CHI Health Center Omaha, Omaha, NE
February 10, 2023 – Vibrant Arena at THE MARK, Moline, IL
February 11, 2023 – WSU Nutter Center, Dayton, OH
February 16, 2023 – Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SC
February 17, 2023 – EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, VA
February 18, 2023 – Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, WV
February 23, 2023 – Enmarket Arena, Savannah, GA
February 24, 2023 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
February 25, 2023 – Hard Rock Live at Seminole, Hollywood, FL
