When one hears the name Hillaree Burns, many immediately think of her connection to rock vocalist Scott Stapp of Creed. Yet her story is more than a footnote in someone else’s journey. In this comprehensive article, we’ll explore what is known about Hillaree Burns, sort fact from fiction, and examine why her brief public presence still matters in the narrative of fame, relationships, and privacy.
Note: Because Hillaree Burns has lived much of her life outside the limelight, many publicly circulated details are speculative or repeated without verification. This article emphasizes sources, caveats, and transparency.
Table of Contents
- Who Is Hillaree Burns?
- Marriage to Scott Stapp
- Public Incidents and Media Mentions
- Facts vs. Myths: Sorting the Record
- Her Legacy & Why She Matters
- What Happened After the Divorce?
- FAQ About Hillaree Burns
- Conclusion
Who Is Hillaree Burns?
Basic Identity & Public Recognition
- Hillaree Burns is best known as the former wife of Scott Stapp, the lead singer of the rock band Creed.
- The publicly available biographical information about her is extremely limited; she has not courted media attention or published personal accounts of her life.
- Her name appears in genealogical and celebrity record sites, often tied to her marriage, but rarely with independently sourced data.
Marriage & Children
- Hillaree Burns married Scott Stapp in 1997.
- Their marriage lasted approximately 16 months, ending in 1998 or 1999, depending on different sources.
- The couple had one child together: Jagger Stapp.
- After their separation, custody arrangements appear to have favored Scott Stapp.
Because her public footprint is minimal, many later accounts about Hillaree Burns draw heavily from details surrounding Scott Stapp and Creed’s history. As such, it is vital to approach these accounts with caution.
Marriage to Scott Stapp
Timing & Context
The timing of Hillaree Burns’s marriage to Scott Stapp coincided with Creed’s rising popularity in the late 1990s. At that moment, the band was building momentum in the post-grunge rock scene, and Stapp was gaining not just musical success, but public scrutiny. Hillaree entered into that world as a partner to a man advancing into fame.
Marriage Duration & Divorce
- Start: 1997
- Duration: Approximately 16 months (some sources say 1.4 years)
- Divorce: 1998, though some reports place it in 1999.
Because of discrepancies in reporting, every account should be cross-checked with reliable sources (e.g. public records, official statements).
Role in Scott Stapp’s Life
While their relationship was brief, Hillaree Burns played a historical role in Stapp’s personal life:
- Parental relationship: She is the biological mother of his son, Jagger.
- Emotional chapter: Some interviews with Stapp refer to the early years—his reflections sometimes mention that he would “always love her,” and that having a child with her was meaningful.
- Symbolic moment in songwriting: There are claims that “With Arms Wide Open”, one of Creed’s most famous songs, was written when Hillaree was pregnant.
Public Incidents and Media Mentions
Because Hillaree Burns generally avoided publicity, there are only a few public incidents or media mentions involving her. Most of these revolve around her time with Stapp or a handful of legal incidents.
Legal Incident: The Cell Phone Allegation
One of the more sensational media accounts involves an alleged confrontation:
- According to The Smoking Gun, there was an incident in November 2002 where Hillaree was reportedly arrested for allegedly striking Scott Stapp with a cell phone during an argument at his residence
- That report claims the dispute was tied to custody matters over Jagger.
Important caveats:
- This is one of the few legal records available publicly.
- It comes from a tabloid-style archive; the accuracy or outcome is not clearly documented in more authoritative sources.
- No follow-ups or official case dispositions are easily found in major reputable databases.
Media Mentions & Biographical Sketches
A cross-section of media and celebrity sites mention Hillaree Burns in passing, usually in relation to Scott Stapp’s biography or personal life retrospectives. For example:
- CreativeNews published a profile titled “Who is Hillaree Burns? A Closer Look at Scott Stapp’s Ex-Wife” summarizing what is commonly known.
- ExploreClarion also published a piece summarizing her known role in Stapp’s history.
Yet, these are secondary or tertiary sources, and they frequently repeat the same limited details (marriage, child, divorce) without deeper sourcing.
Why So Little Known?
- Hillaree did not become a public figure herself.
- She did not give interviews or publish memoirs (as far as available records indicate).
- Most discoveries about her arise from examining documents and public records tied to Stapp and Creed.
Facts vs. Myths: Sorting the Record {#facts-vs-myths-sorting-the-record}
Because of the sparsity of direct information, many myths and inaccuracies surround Hillaree Burns. Below is a side-by-side comparison of what is more reliably documented versus what remains speculative or dubious.
| Topic | More Reliable / Well-Supported | Speculative / Likely Myth |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage year | Married in 1997. | Reports of 1995 or earlier—no credible support found. |
| Length of marriage | ~16 months according to Wikipedia. | Some sites assert 2+ years; inconsistent. |
| Child(ren) | One child: Jagger. | Claims of multiple children—unverified. |
| Net worth / career | Very little reliable information on her occupation or wealth. | Some sensational sites claim she is a counselor, mental health advocate, or has a net worth of ~$500,000. (These claims are unsupported by credible sources.) |
| Date of birth / personal background | None confirmed in authoritative records. | Some sites list March 15, 1985 or 1990 or other dates — likely inaccurate. |
| Continued public life | She has remained largely out of public view. | Claims of ongoing advocacy, book authorship, or public media appearances—no strong evidence. |
Takeaway: When writing or reading about Hillaree Burns, one should treat extended biographical narratives with skepticism unless backed by verifiable primary sources (e.g. government records, direct interviews). Many modern writeups recycle the same speculative content.
Her Legacy & Why She Matters
Though Hillaree Burns is far from a household name, her presence in the story of a famous musician means she holds a certain legacy — both in the personal narrative of Scott Stapp and in the broader cultural sense of how public figures intersect with private lives.
In Scott Stapp’s History
- As Stapp’s first wife and mother of his first child, she occupies a pivotal role in his personal timeline.
- Some lyrics and stories fans associate with Stapp’s early emotional landscape reference the challenges of fatherhood, separation, and searching. While she is not always explicitly named, her presence lingers in that emotional terrain for fans and biographers.
In the Discourse of Privacy & Celebrity
Hillaree Burns represents a case study in how some people connected to fame choose (or are forced) to stay private. Her life underscores a few points:
- Not all spouse-of-celebrities becomes a celebrity themselves — her decision (active or passive) to avoid publicity contrasts sharply with many celebrity marriages.
- Media repetition and distortion: Because original sources are scarce, erroneous or sensational claims can spread uncritically.
- The role of the “quiet partner”: Many narratives around celebrities omit or marginalize the person who lived “behind the scenes.” Re-examining those figures can humanize the larger story.
In sum, her legacy is less about achievements she made in public, and more about what her presence (and absence of visibility) tells us about fame, narrative, and personal boundaries.
What Happened After the Divorce?
After their separation, Hillaree Burns largely receded from the public eye. There are only a few traces of her life in the years since:
- Custody & parenting: It is reported that Scott Stapp obtained primary custody of Jagger following the divorce.
- Minimal media footprint: No known public interviews, official statements, or later projects associated with her name are documented in reliable sources.
- Legal incidents: As noted, the 2002 alleged confrontation is one of the few legal records tied to her name.
- Mention in retrospective articles: In recent years, when retrospectives on Scott Stapp or Creed are written, Hillaree is occasionally mentioned—but only briefly and as a peripheral figure.
Because there is so little independently documented post-divorce activity, any narrative about her “career after” is speculative at best.
FAQs
Q1. What is Hillaree Burns’s date of birth?
A1. There is no verifiable, authoritative record confirming her date of birth. Some websites claim March 15, 1985 or March 15, 1990, but these lack credible sourcing.
Q2. What was her profession or occupation?
A2. Publicly, there is no confirmed record of her profession. Some unverified articles describe her as a counselor or mental health advocate, but these appear more speculative than factual.
Q3. Is Hillaree Burns active on social media?
A3. If she has social media, it is private and not widely known. She has not maintained a visible public presence.
Q4. Does she have any other children besides Jagger Stapp?
A4. There are no credible records to suggest she has any children other than Jagger.
Q5. Did she remarry or maintain other relationships publicly?
A5. Publicly, there is no confirmed information about subsequent marriages or long-term relationships after her divorce from Stapp.
Q6. Why is she so little known despite being married to a celebrity?
A6. She appears to have deliberately chosen privacy, not pursued public engagement, and made minimal statements to the media. This is rare but not unheard of in celebrity-adjacent individuals.
Q7. Are there definitive court or legal records about her?
A7. Only limited records are publicly referenced—most notably, the 2002 alleged phone assault incident. Full court documents or verified accounts are not readily accessible in mainstream databases.
Conclusion
Hillaree Burns is a figure whose public footprint is small yet persistent. Her marriage to Scott Stapp and her role as mother to Jagger ensures her place in a particular narrative of rock history—but beyond that, she has largely remained a private individual. Because of that, many online tributes, biographies, and profiles about her rely on repeated assumptions, incomplete records, or unverified claims.