Shane McAnally and Husband Michael Baum Expecting Third Child via Surrogate — “It Just Felt Meant to Be”
Hit songwriter and producer Shane McAnally and his husband Michael Baum are expanding their family once again — the couple are expecting their third child, a baby boy, via surrogate. Already parents to 12-year-old twins Dash and Dylan, the pair are overjoyed to soon become a family of five.
“We Don’t Feel Like Those Rules Apply”
At 51, McAnally says he’s embracing this new chapter on his own terms. Speaking to PEOPLE, he shared that neither age nor societal expectations are factors in their decision to grow their family:
“I know things are changing all the time,” he said. “And of course, since ours is a nontraditional family anyway, we don’t feel like those rules apply.”
A Fresh Start in California
The family left Nashville in late 2023, trading the fast-paced music industry lifestyle for a calmer life in Santa Barbara, California. McAnally still travels to Nashville once a month for work, but says the move brought their family a renewed sense of peace — and inspired the decision to welcome another child.
“We have really nested,” he said. “Our kids have found an incredible rhythm here. It’s just been a really good thing for our family. Michael always says, ‘Things grow here,’ and so we just wanted to expand the love. I’ve wanted to have another baby for a long time.”
The process of finding a surrogate, he explained, felt like destiny.
“It just started to feel like it was meant to be,” McAnally added. “I have to trust the way the universe does things, and it was all green lights.”
Breaking the News to the Twins
Convincing Dash and Dylan that another baby was on the way, however, was the hardest part.
“They were just like, ‘Absolutely not. We love the number four. Everything’s great,’” McAnally laughed.
When the couple later showed their twins the sonogram, the reaction wasn’t exactly enthusiastic.
“It was not well received,” he admitted, chuckling.
Over time, though, the kids’ feelings began to shift — especially Dash’s.
“He’s already asking, ‘How old will he have to be before he can sleep with me?’ and ‘When can I show him basketball?’” McAnally shared. “We just have to get through the initial part and make sure [Dylan] doesn’t smother the baby!”
The baby boy is due to be born in San Diego, with both dads and the twins present for the birth.
A Different Kind of Fatherhood
When their twins were born, McAnally’s career was skyrocketing — and juggling fatherhood with a nonstop hit-making schedule was challenging. This time, he says, will be different.
“Back then, it was a lot on my plate,” he explained. “Now, I have a much clearer head and work schedule. I find more joy in being with my kids than chasing hits.”
From Songwriting to Stand-Up
That doesn’t mean McAnally is slowing down creatively. Alongside preparing for fatherhood again, he’s also embarking on a new venture — stand-up comedy.
Just ten days after his son’s due date, McAnally will hit the road with Walker Hayes, opening each show with a 20-minute comedy set. The idea began as a creative experiment that quickly turned into a new passion.
“I decided to try writing an entire stand-up show, and I just fell in love with it,” he said. “Michael told me, ‘I was wondering when you’d figure this out.’”
His one-man show, “You Never Know,” debuted at Nashville’s Bluebird Café in May 2024 and has since played to sold-out crowds in New York, Los Angeles, and Huntsville, Alabama. Blending humor with heart, McAnally’s routines explore his life as a gay dad, his Texas roots, and his songwriting career — complete with a few of his most beloved hits.
“It’s storytelling, just like songwriting,” he explained. “Except this time, I’m telling the jokes myself.”
A Full-Circle Moment
Joining Walker Hayes’ Live Tour from November 6–22, McAnally’s latest creative chapter feels like a fitting continuation of a career defined by evolution and authenticity. After all, he’s penned or produced more than 50 No. 1 hits for artists like Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt, and Keith Urban, as well as the Tony-winning Broadway musical Shucked.
Now, as he and Michael prepare to welcome their baby boy, McAnally says this season of life feels perfectly aligned:
“Everything just fell into place,” he said. “It’s love expanding — and that’s what life’s supposed to be.”