Actress and podcast host Jana Kramer disclosed that she extended professional courtesy to her former husband Mike Caussin before publishing her 2023 memoir, offering him advance notice of the personal stories she planned to include about their marriage and divorce.
During the Friday, March 13 episode of her podcast "Whine Down," Kramer, 42, explained her approach to writing about her past relationship. She recalled reaching out to Caussin, 39, stating, "Even writing stuff about my ex in my book, it's like, 'Hey, I'm obviously writing stories, here are some of them. Would you like to see them?'"
The former One Tree Hill actress emphasized that providing advance notice was a matter of respect. "I think it's the respectful thing to do to reach out to people if you're going to talk about them," Kramer stated.
Kramer's 2023 book, titled "The Next Chapter: Making Peace with Hard Memories, Finding Hope All Around Me, and Clearing Space for Good Things to Come—Navigating Heartbreak and Loss with Wisdom," chronicles her experience following the dissolution of her marriage. The memoir represented a significant departure from the couple's previous collaborative literary effort.
The former couple had previously co-authored "The Good Fight: Wanting to Leave, Choosing to Stay, and the Powerful Practice for Loving Faithfully" and were planning a second joint project focused on trust when their relationship ended. Kramer humorously referenced this during her podcast, noting that "because our book deal about trust went away," she decided to write about her experience as a divorcee instead.
When approaching Caussin about the memoir, Kramer made clear her intentions. "I said, what I want you to know first and foremost is that this isn't an 'I hate Mike book.' This is about my year post-divorce," she recalled during the podcast episode.
The actress acknowledged that certain details were deliberately omitted from the publication. "There are things I didn't speak about to protect you, mostly the kids. Because if there were certain things I put in there he would've fought [about it]," she told Caussin at the time.
According to Kramer, Caussin responded positively to her approach. She shared that he told her, "I trust that you are saying what you're saying about the stories and that you wouldn't put in what I would hope you wouldn't." Notably, Caussin declined to review the manuscript before publication, a decision that surprised Kramer, who admitted, "I would've read every single page" if their positions were reversed.
When questioned whether she would have altered content if Caussin had objected, Kramer indicated she would have considered modifications to specific "pieces" while maintaining the overall integrity of her narrative, describing the book as her "truth."
Kramer established clear boundaries regarding the scope of her public commentary. She emphasized that her book and podcast discussions focus exclusively on their shared history during their marriage, not Caussin's current life. "Whatever you do now, it's not on me to talk about. I'm not that person," she stated. "All I've ever talked about was past experiences when we were in a marriage."
Kramer announced the end of her marriage to Caussin in April 2021 after nearly six years together. The couple had previously separated in 2016 following reports of infidelity, after which Caussin entered treatment for sex addiction. They renewed their vows in 2017 before ultimately divorcing in 2021.
The former couple shares two children: daughter Jolie, 10, and son Jace, 7. Kramer has since remarried Allan Russell, with whom she shares son Roman, 2. She continues to discuss coparenting dynamics and personal growth on her podcast platform.
In her memoir, Kramer included challenging moments from the divorce proceedings, including a particularly painful exchange. She wrote that Caussin told her during that period, "You know, I never really loved you," a statement she described as deliberately hurtful but ultimately confirming doubts she had harbored throughout their relationship.