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Three country music stars have found themselves at the center of a messy and very public love triangle – with avid fans dissecting every social media post, look and lyric for clues.
The speculation centers on chart topper Riley Green, 36, who has collaborated with Alabama-born singer Ella Langley, 26, and her fellow breakout artist Megan Moroney, 27 – and appears to have sparked romantic rumors with both.
Langley and Green first raised eyebrows after releasing their hit love song You Look Like You Love Me as well as the duet Don’t Mind If I Do last year, especially after fans claimed to have spotted chemistry during live performances.
The rumor mill then exploded when a viral clip seemingly showed them sharing a kiss backstage at The American Rodeo in Arlington, Texas, in April, although many fans thought the encounter looked more like a hug.
Langley steadfastly denied the escalating gossip, telling Taste of Country: ‘We’re not dating. We’re just good friends. Riley was probably the first famous person I ever met. He was playing all the same bars I went to and I played the same bars as him. It’s cool to see Alabama people winning.’
She grew up in Hope Hull, with a population of around 7,000, while Green is from Jacksonville, a little over two hours away.
Megan Moroney at iHeartRadio Country Festival in Austin on May 3. She has found herself at the center of a messy and very public love triangle with Riley Green and Ella Langley
Ella Langley at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Frisco, Texas on May 8
Riley Green. Avid fans dissect the trio’s social media posts, looks and lyrics for clues
Then, during an appearance on The Bachelor alum Nick Niall’s podcast The Viall Files, Green gave a characteristically noncommittal answer when asked about Langley, saying: ‘Yeah, I mean, Ella’s probably too smart to date me anyway.
‘When we first started having the success that we did with that song, I told Ella, I was like, “There’s gonna be a lot of things said but we don’t really got to play into it or not play into it.”‘
Then things became more complicated.
Country music fans noticed that Langley had unfollowed Moroney, the self-proclaimed ’emo cowgirl’, on Instagram after rumors linked her to Green, especially after the two were spotted vacationing on St Barts.
However, Moroney was quick to deny they were together and told Rolling Stone that she had run into Green while he was on vacation with his friends.
‘St Barts is a popular place!’ she said. ‘It’s one of those things where if you know someone on a small island, you’re like, ‘Oh, s**t, you’re here too.’ So it was fun.
‘Just because we’re hanging out doesn’t mean we’re romantically dating. You know what I mean?’
She jokingly called out fans for keeping tabs on her love life, saying: ‘I don’t blame them for doing some FBI research.’
But the fans weren’t convinced. Many pointed out that Moroney had previously rejected romance rumors about dating fellow country singer Morgan Wallen that later turned out to be true. At the time, when people thought she’d written Tennessee Orange for him, she said the two weren’t together but later admitted they were, albeit not exclusively.
Country music fans noticed that Langley, pictured, had unfollowed the self-proclaimed ’emo cowgirl’ Moroney on Instagram
Green and Langley were at the center of dating rumors after releasing their hit song You Look Like You Love Me as well as the duet Don’t Mind If I Do
Eagle-eyed country music fans noticed that Langley unfollowed her fellow rising star Megan Moroney, right, on Instagram after rumors romantically connecting her to Green
Speculation reached a frenzy when a viral clip seemingly showed Langley and Green sharing a smooch backstage at The American Rodeo in Arlington, Texas
Langley steadfastly denied the escalating rumors, and told Taste of Country, ‘We’re not dating. We’re just good friends’
The speculation wasn’t over yet, with Reddit users noticing Moroney wearing what looked like Green’s hat. And the pair were spotted hanging out together in his hometown. A video then surfaced that purportedly showed them at a Panama City Beach airport in Florida in late April.
Sleuths also thought she was posting ‘passive aggressive stories/posts’, including lyrics from her song I’m Not Pretty. One specific line – ‘I bet one of his friends let my name slip again’ – is about jealousy, insecurity and an ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend obsessively Instagram-stalking her predecessor.
All three stars were seen at the 2025 ACM Awards when the trio’s dynamic was on full display. Moroney was spotted throwing shade by giving side eye when Green and Langley made their acceptance speech.
The eye roll quickly went viral on TikTok as country fans declared that she seemed unhappy during the ‘awkward’ moment.
Nashville radio DJ Bobby Bones addressed the drama on his show and fueled rumors of a romance. He said it ‘looks like something’s a bit off between those two’ despite the fact that Langley and Green never ‘officially’ dated.
All three country stars were then seen at the 2025 ACM Awards when the trio’s dynamic was on full display
Moroney was seen giving side eye when Green and Langley gave their acceptance speech
Other country listeners posted videos of Langley and Green performing their hit You Look Like You Love Me and said it looked more like a ‘situationship gone wrong’
He noted that the pair didn’t celebrate together after the win. ‘I’m not going to share anybody’s business that I know, I’m just going to share things that I’ve seen,’ he said, calling the situation ‘delicate’.
Bones had talked to Moroney the night before in the green room and said he could ‘guess what the drama is’ after they were ‘zooming in’ on the side eye. The Nashville insider discussed the recent performances and said their body language looked off as they stood away from each other.
Other country listeners posted videos of Langley and Green performing their hit You Look Like You Love Me at the Sand in My Boots festival in May, and said it looked more like a ‘situationship gone wrong’.
Fans were divided. Some believed that Green had caused Langley heartache. One speculated: ‘He is still trying to remain the same on stage and she has it written all over her that he hurt her.’
Another offered a simpler explanation: ‘Maybe they’re both tired of singing the song.’
