Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale recently opened up about her romantic relationship with the band’s guitarist Joe Hottinger. She explained why she kept their romance hidden from the public for an extended period. The revelation came during an interview on Get on the Bus.
Hale discussed the careful approach she and Hottinger took when their relationship began. She emphasized their commitment to protecting the band’s integrity.
“It was kind of instantaneous, but we had this rule. We didn’t want to Fleetwood Mac it, you know? We didn’t want to like ruin the band,” Hale said. “So like we had these very adult conversations. Like, ‘Okay, if anything goes, you know, it’s like we can’t do that.’ And then finally we were like ‘Well, if we don’t try, we’re going to just we’re going to end up like biting each other’s heads off anyway.’ So, but the band comes first. It was like very juvenile way of going about it.”
The couple made a deliberate decision to keep their relationship private to avoid potential misconceptions about their professional dynamic.
“But and we didn’t tell anybody for a long time. Then some people found out later. In general, we just didn’t talk about. We didn’t talk about it for a while because, you know, there were a couple different reasons for that because I didn’t want it to be, you know, there’s something that happens, you know, like people look at you different kind of like, oh well, you know, that’s why he’s in the band or that’s why she’s, you know, and that just wasn’t the case,” Hale continued. “It was always like we were digging in. It was music first. He was the first person that I had ever met besides little brother that wanted to do this.”
This recent revelation provides new context to what has been one of rock music’s longest-kept secrets. The secret spans over two decades of both professional and personal partnership.
Blabbermouth reported that Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger have been in a romantic relationship for 22 years. This means they began dating around 2004. The relationship timeline aligns with the band’s early formation period. Halestorm was originally formed in 1998 with Lzzy’s brother Arejay on drums. Hottinger joined the band in 2003.
The secrecy surrounding their relationship was so effective that it remained largely undisclosed until October 2015. The same source noted that Halestorm bassist Josh Smith confirmed the long-standing rumor to a radio station. He noted that “they’re pretty open about their relationship.” This confirmation came more than a decade after the couple had begun dating. It demonstrated their commitment to keeping their personal lives separate from their professional endeavors.
The relationship was officially acknowledged publicly when Lzzy confirmed it during a performance at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on March 5, 2026. 95.7 The Rock reported that this marked the first time Hale had openly discussed their 22-year relationship in such detail. The timing of this revelation coincides with Halestorm’s continued success and established reputation in the rock music scene.
Lzzy has emphasized the importance of working hard at their relationship and maintaining transparency with each other. Chaoszine revealed that she described their 22 years together as involving “all of these firsts and chasing your dream, doing the thing that you love with the person you love.” This perspective highlights how their personal relationship has intertwined with their shared musical journey. It created a unique dynamic that has sustained both their romantic partnership and their professional collaboration for over two decades.
