Riley Green Shares How He Expected Texts from Exes After Winning PEOPLE’s Sexiest Country Star, but They Never Came

Riley Green at an event in Nashville in November 2025.
Credit:

Brett Carlsen/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Riley Green admits he thought he’d hear from some exes when he won PEOPLE’s Sexiest Country Star Alive
• Green earned the title in the Readers’ Choice Poll last year
• He said he played the Toby Keith song “How Do You Like Me Now?!” in his head

Riley Green, recently crowned the Sexiest Country Star Alive in PEOPLE’s Readers’ Choice Poll, expressed surprise at the lack of messages from former girlfriends in the wake of his win. He was hoping to hear from at least a few, assuming they might reach out to congratulate him.

In an interview with Taste of Country Nights, the 37-year-old artist shared his astonishment, saying, “I was expecting ex-girlfriends to text me about it… I don’t know. Because I won, or something. I mean, geez, who you gonna text? That’s like, a ‘Yeah, you know, like, take that.’” Instead, he received light-hearted banter from friends back home.

Green referenced the iconic 1999 Toby Keith song “How Do You Like Me Now?!” as a fitting soundtrack to his situation, admitting it was playing in his mind after his title was announced. “You remember ‘How Do You Like Me Now?!’? That was playing in my head over and over,” he recounted.

Riley Green at the 2024 CMA Awards in Nashville.

Jason Kempin/Getty

Keith’s song explores themes of nostalgia and reversing fortunes, echoing Green’s sentiments on fame and recognition. During the 2025 CMA Awards, the artist reiterated his experience of playful teasing from friends about his new title. “I haven’t gotten anything for that yet other than a bunch of texts from my buddies giving me a hard time,” he shared.

In addition to his playful reflections, Green, who has been romantically linked to duet partner Ella Langley and Megan Moroney, discussed how his touring schedule complicates his dating life. “Any girl that meets me, after about two weeks of seeing how much I’m gone on tour, she’s ready to go the other way, so it’s no big deal,” he explained, noting that navigating relationships can be more straightforward than it seems.

Riley Green performing in Franklin, Tenn. in June 2025.

Jason Kempin/Getty

Green secured his title by surpassing fellow artists Warren Zeiders, Shaboozey, and Cody Johnson in the Readers’ Choice Poll. His latest album, Don’t Mind If I Do, was released in October 2024. At the recent CMAs, he celebrated three wins for his duet with Langley, “You Look Like You Love Me,” claiming honors for Single of the Year, Song of the Year, and Music Video of the Year.