Riley Green Wants To Have Kids In The Future, Just Not As Many As Thomas Rhett: “I Don’t Want A Basketball Team”

Green said he has “an interest in kids, just not 17, you know what I mean?”

Riley Green; Photo by Andrew Wendowski

Riley Green is looking forward to having kids one day, but the 37-year-old country star already knows he wants to keep his family small. During a recent interview with Audacy’s Rob + Holly, Green opened up about the number of children he might like to have, a conversation that was brought about after mentioning his friend, fellow country superstar and “Half Of Me” collaborator Thomas Rhett.

Rhett and his wife, Lauren Akins, currently have four daughters, with another child on the way. Rob asked Green how many kids he himself wants to have, wondering, “Is it Thomas Rhett style?” Green responded, “I don’t know how they do it. It’s crazy to me.” As for his own goals, Green explained that he has “an interest in kids, just not 17, you know what I mean?” He joked that he doesn’t want a “basketball team” and is instead “looking for just a couple of little kids to hang out with.”

Green is familiar with his friend Rhett’s growing family and shared a story about realizing just how large it is. “He called me when I was at the beach last year, this summer, and he said, ‘Hey, I want to take a couple of my daughters out fishing,’” Green recalled Rhett asking him. “‘Can you find a boat?’ ‘Yeah, no problem.’ So I called him, texted him, said, ‘Hey man, go on the boat now,’ whatever, nothing.”

Riley Green; Photo Courtesy of 2025 CMA Awards

Rhett called him back about “a week later,” saying, “‘Well, you don’t understand. I got a lot of kids.’” Green told Rob and Holly, “‘No, I get that. But you called me and asked me to find somebody to take us fishing.’”

The “Worst Way” singer also shared that his sister has three children and is “constantly” attending their sports games. “I don’t have any interest in that,” he said. “My sister Lindy’s got three, and they’re constantly like ball here, ball. They’re just driving. They spend 90% of their life driving to ball games.”

Riley Green; Photo Courtesy of John Russell/CMA

As for who he may one day have his own kids with, country fans know that Green’s dating life has been a topic of speculation as of late. When asked if that’s “frustrating” for him, the Alabama native explained that while frustrating “is not the right word,” he does find the interest “strange” but ultimately doesn’t mind as long as it drives new fans to his music.

“I’ve kind of looked at it like anything that points people towards my music or finding out who I am or whatever’s probably a good thing,” he said. “Just about anything, I guess.”

“There’s a strange interest in my personal life over the last year or so. Without me saying or really doing anything, they come up with all these hypotheses… So it is fun for me to sit here and watch, and all my buddies get entertainment. My family, they all get entertainment by seeing these speculations about who I’m dating or what I’m doing. And yeah, man, if it introduces somebody to my music, I guess it’s all right.”