Ree Drummond Thanks Husband Ladd for Support at Cookbook Signing Following Her Brother's Death

Ladd Drummond, who has been married to Ree Drummond for 25 years, was her surprise guest at a signing in Grapevine, Texas on Nov. 10

By

Dave Quinn

Published on November 15, 2021 01:23 PM

Ree Drummond had someone special by her side at her cookbook signing in Texas last week.

The Food Network star— whose newest book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks―Super Easy!: 120 Shortcut Recipes for Dinners, Desserts, and More, is sitting atop the New York Times bestsellers list — surprised fans at Books-A-Million in Grapevine on Nov. 10 by showing up with her husband, Ladd Drummond.

Lucky attendees got to take pictures with Ladd, who often appears alongside his wife on her hit show. He even signed some books, too.

On Sunday, Ree celebrated her husband in a touching tribute on Instagram, thanking him for his support before, during, and after the event.

"He not only drove me to Dallas last week for my cookbook signing because he knew I was too pooped to drive myself, he also came to the bookstore to check on me and wound up signing books and taking pics once the signing was over," Ree wrote. "And when he stopped to fill up on the drive home the next morning, he bought me a Diet Dr Pepper and a string cheese."

"Find a partner who will drive you and buy you cheese when you need it most, is what I'm saying," she teased.

Ree's post comes after she and her husband had an especially hard month following the death of Ree's brother, Michael Smith. She revealed the sad news in a touching Facebook post shared to her Facebook account.

"It isn't possible to sum up the life of someone as perfectly wonderful as my brother Michael, so right now I won't try," Ree wrote in her message. "He was seventeen months older than me, my first friend and buddy, and I'm so grateful for over 50 years of photos and memories."

Their loss added on to an already emotional year when Ladd was injured in a serious fire truck accident with their nephew in March. Ladd and Caleb Drummond collided in separate vehicles as they were attempting to put out a blaze on the family's Oklahoma farm, leaving Ladd with a broken neck and sending Caleb to the hospital in critical condition.

While Ladd has made significant progress in the months since, Ree has been a constant cheerleader of him on social media.

The couple — who share five children: daughters Alex, 24, and Paige, 22, and sons Bryce, 19, Todd, 17, and Jamar, 18 — have been married for 25 years and celebrated their milestone anniversary back in September.

"Twenty five years ago, Ladd and I got married," Ree wrote on Instagram at the time, alongside a gallery of photos which included a snap from her 1996 wedding day.

"It's been a wild adventure, and we've experienced the joys, pains, ups, downs, triumphs, sadnesses, and unexpected twists and turns. (And kids! 🤓)," she said. "That whole 'love' thing—the love that deepens, expands, and becomes more firmly rooted over time—is definitely there."

She ended her note by praising Ladd's good looks. "If you wanna see what's really kept me going all these years, just swipe to the last pic," she said, that photo just showing a smoldering Ladd. "Can it really be that simple? Well, some days, yes! 🔥😂 I love you, Ladd."

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Meanwhile, Ree's book tour continues through the month of November and into December.

She'll be at the Full Circle Bookstore in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Thursday. Then, on Dec. 4, she's scheduled to sign at Brace Books & More in Ponca City, Oklahoma.