Jana Kramer Responds To Backlash Over Husband’s Self-Gratification Claim

The “One Tree Hill” alum is coming to the defense of her husband, Allan Russell, after he sparked headlines for revealing he no longer m-sturbates since the couple tied the knot last year.

Russell, a retired Scottish soccer star and now married to the country singer and actress, raised eyebrows with the personal admission during a July 9 episode of Kramer’s “Whine Down” podcast, in which he stated he hasn’t felt the need to pleasure himself since marrying Kramer in July 2023.

Now, Jana Kramer is addressing the backlash and setting the record straight.

“It was a sex episode with a doctor who specializes in intimacy and sexual relationships,” the 41-year-old mom of three explained in a follow-up episode. “It’s not like he just randomly was like, ‘I don’t m-sturbate.’ We were having a conversation.”

Kramer stressed that critics were reacting to the headline and not the full context of the discussion. “Everyone just sees the headline but doesn’t really know where it came from or the story behind it,” she said.

During the original podcast, Russell explained his reasoning, saying, “There’s no point where I’ve actually felt like m-sturbating since our wedding,” adding that he prefers to share those intimate moments with Kramer rather than “ruin it” with solo pleasure.

“There’s a part of me [that] is like, I know it’s going to come, so I’m not going to ruin it by doing what I need to do selfishly for myself to then diminish or ruin the thing that we have together,” he shared. “I would rather have her than go into the bathroom and m-sturbate.”

While some found the comments sweet, others criticized the couple’s openness about their sex life, especially Russell’s choice of words. But Kramer didn’t hesitate to share how her husband handled the online chatter.

“He was so lovely about it,” she said. “He goes, ‘To be honest, it could have read Jana Kramer’s husband can’t stop m-sturbating. I see it as respectful, honoring my wife.’ I was like, ‘I love your answer to that.’ He did not care for a second and took it as a, ‘I’m a man who honors his wife.'”

This isn’t the first time Allan Russell has made headlines for candid commentary on Kramer’s podcast.

Back in December, he raised eyebrows again after discussing his discomfort with his wife taking on intimate acting roles. In the episode, Kramer brought up steamy “Yellowstone” scenes, prompting Russell to admit he would “never, ever, ever” allow a man to be that physically close to her onscreen.

“If she were cast in something like ‘Yellowstone,’ I’d be phoning the producers and threatening the producers, ‘You need to change that scene. For the good of your health, you need to change this scene,'” he said, firmly expressing his boundaries as someone outside the acting world.

Russell added, “That’s not good for a marriage… especially [for] a man who’s not in the acting world. It’s difficult.”

To illustrate his point, Russell flipped the scenario, “Can you imagine that we’re both actors in a situation where I’ve stripped this woman naked and I start to go down on her. How would you like that, babe?”

Kramer agreed that filming intimate scenes isn’t glamorous, calling it “literally the most uncomfortable thing ever.” She clarified that such scenes are usually filmed on closed sets with minimal crew and rarely feel as romantic as they appear onscreen.

Though the couple has been open about their boundaries and sex life, Kramer insists that the key to their connection is mutual respect, and that includes how Russell talks about their intimacy.

“I love that he was unbothered by the headlines,” Kramer said. “Because to him, it wasn’t embarrassing. It was about honoring our relationship.”

Despite the viral headlines and occasional controversy, Jana Kramer and Allan Russell’s love story continues to flourish. The couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in July 2023, surrounded by close family and friends.

Their wedding marked a new chapter for the “One Tree Hill” alum, who has been open about her past struggles with relationships and her desire to build a healthy, lasting marriage.

With their blended family, including their one-year-old son, Roman, Kramer and Russell have built a foundation of transparency, humor, and deep respect for one another as the cornerstone of their union.