Naomi Judd and Larry Strickland 's near-five-decade marriage was not exactly picture-perfect — and the brutal reality is now being uncovered in the new expose docuseries The Judd Family: Truth Be Told , which premiered May 10 and 11. Perhaps the most stunning confession came when the late country music legend's widower, Larry Strickland, acknowledged that Naomi had once aimed a gun at him after she caught him cheating.

The emotional moment came as Strickland, 79, revisited a scene from the 1995 TV movie Love Can Build a Bridge, based on Naomi’s memoir of the same name. In the dramatized reenactment, actress Kathleen York, portraying Naomi, shoots Bruce Greenwood’s character — based on Strickland — after uncovering his infidelity.

Having seen the dramatic clip, Strickland quietly nodded at the reality behind the drama: "Well, it really happened. That's all I can say. That's all I'm gonna say. It happened."

The documentary series goes into depth about the ups and downs of the Judd family legacy, presenting an unvarnished glimpse at their triumphs and traumas and how they defined their lives. In a voiceover from her memoir, Naomi remembered the all-encompassing love she and Strickland had previously been, characterizing their relationship as "wildly, madly, passionately in love." However, that love was tested by distance — Strickland was away frequently, and Naomi was left feeling abandoned.

One of the most painful recollections was when a Northeast woman called Naomi at their home in Nashville during the 1980s, saying she loved and missed Strickland. Fuming, Naomi confessed that she destroyed their photos and tossed his stuff into a garbage bag left in the yard.

Naomi and Larry first met in 1979 and married a decade later in May 1989. Despite their tumultuous past, they remained together for 33 years until Naomi’s tragic death in April 2022 at age 76.

The River of Time songstress's death shocked the music world, but this new docuseries reveals not only her talent and success, but also the intensely personal battles she waged behind closed doors — including betrayal, heartbreak, and ultimately, forgiveness.

In revealing their truth, The Judd Family: Truth Be Told reminds us that even legends have scars — and that love, as Naomi used to sing, can construct a bridge, but doesn't necessarily remove the hurt underneath it.