Nearly six years after winning “American Idol,” country artist Laine Hardy has a new title: Dad.

The Louisiana native, 24, won season 17 of “Idol” in 2019. On February, 21, 2025, he singer welcomed a baby boy with his fiancée, New Orleans Saints cheerleader Jordan Gautreau, according to a joint Instagram post shared they shared two days later. The announcement said Hollis James Hardy was born at 1:23 a.m. weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces.

The couple captioned several photos of their newborn by writing, “Welcome to the world Hollis James Hardy! We are over the moon about this little boy 🩵 An absolute gift from God. Let the adventure begin!”

Laine Hardy & Jordan Gautreau Plan to Marry in 2026

Hardy and Gautreau announced their engagement and baby news all at once via social media, including an Instagram video of their baby’s gender reveal on September 7. Gautreau began the post by writing, “the secret is out…. I’m having his babyyyy?”

Adding the hashtag #partywiththehardys, Gautreau continued her caption, “We are so excited for this chapter of our lives. Looking forward to God’s plan for us. The biggest surprise and the easiest YES! Can’t wait for our new title as parents and to plan a wedding.”

On December 11, the couple told The Wedding Reporter podcast that they planned to welcome their baby boy before walking down the aisle.

“I think we’re set on having the baby first,” Gautreau said. “Kind of, you know, have the baby and just get our bearings, get our feet back on the ground after that.”

Gautreau said they’d likely delay their wedding until the spring of 2026, noting that “we want the baby to be there.” Hardy then quipped, “It might can bear the ring.”

In less than 24 hours, nearly 20,000 fans had liked and commented on the couple’s baby announcement, flooding the post with words of congratulations.

Laine Hardy Met His Fiancée Because Her Grandma Was a Huge Fan

Hardy’s happy news comes after some hard years trying to rebuild his career after his arrest in April 2022 over accusations that he bugged an ex-girlfriend’s dorm room. The negative publicity around the cast sidelined his career for a while, resulting in canceled gigs, delayed music releases and, eventually, losing the record deal he earned by winning “Idol.”

But to clear his name, Hardy enrolled in a pretrial diversion program in early 2023, according to The Advocate. The program aims to rehabilitate first-time offenders as an alternative to jail time. That October, Hardy re-appeared on social media after a lengthy absence to tell fans that he’d leaned on his faith to get through the challenging time, but was “looking forward to the next chapter of my life.”

Hardy and Gautreau met around the time of his 2022 arrest, based on the relationship timeline they shared on The Wedding Reporter podcast. They have Gautreau’s grandma to thank for their love connection, because she was a huge fan of Hardy’s.

Though Gautreau and her sister had taken their grandma to see Hardy in concert in 2021, she decided to send him a direct message via Instagram in early 2022, she said, asking if he’d be willing to meet her grandma in-person. They eventually traded phone numbers, began texting to coordinate the special meeting, and wound up connecting over lots of shared interests and values.

By the time Hardy showed up at her grandma’s door to surprise her on Memorial Day weekend in 2022, they were dating.

“She still can’t get over it,” Gautreau told podcast host Alyssa DiCicco. “Every time she sees him, she’s like, ‘You’re so precious’ and she hugs him and everything.”

After two years of dating, Hardy said he proposed to Gautreau as soon as the engagement ring he ordered arrived, racing to her apartment, where she was still in her pajamas.

“My knees were shaking, and my hands — I couldn’t even hold (the ring),” Hardy said.

“He got down on one knee and said the sweetest things I’ve ever heard,” Gautreau said. “I was crying like a baby. Obviously everybody dreams of it being some big, extravagant thing, but just the way that he did it — he’s a simple guy, and I think we have a pretty simple love — so I think it was perfect.”

In addition to adjusting to life as a dad, Hardy continues to work on new music as an independent artist. He released three new songs in the fall of 2024.