Darius Rucker has spent more than four decades in music, first as the voice of Hootie & the Blowfish and then as a Grammy-winning country star. Now he is telling the parts of the story fans have not heard. Darius Rucker: They Called Me Hootie, a feature-length documentary, premieres on Monday 16 November on Hulu.

Rucker says the film is a chance to reflect on his journey and share a side of his story “that people may not know”.

How to watch They Called Me Hootie

Premiere: Monday 16 November 2026
US: Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers
International: Disney+ in selected markets
Producer: ITV America Nashville for ABC News Studios

What the documentary covers

The film follows Rucker from his childhood in Charleston, South Carolina, to global fame with Hootie & the Blowfish in the 1990s and his second act as a country artist. It does not shy away from the hard parts: his struggles with drugs and alcohol, the breakdown of his marriage and moments when he came close to death.

Fans also get new footage of Rucker recording his upcoming album, and never-before-seen tape from the earliest days of Hootie & the Blowfish. The filmmakers describe it as a portrait of “ambition, resilience and reinvention”.

Who appears in the film

Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates Jim “Soni” Sonefeld, Mark Bryan and Dean Felber
Actor Woody Harrelson
Country stars Brad Paisley and Lady A
Former manager Doc McGhee
Record producer Frank Rogers

The team behind it

The documentary is directed by Emmy winner Jason Bergh, who is also an executive producer. Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts is another executive producer. She says she first met Rucker about 30 years ago, when she was at ESPN and Hootie & the Blowfish appeared on College GameDay.

From Hootie to country star

Hootie & the Blowfish rose to global fame in the 1990s and won two Grammys. Rucker later reinvented himself in Nashville, where his solo country career earned him another Grammy, so he has won at the top level in two very different genres.

Darius Rucker’s biggest songs

Before the documentary, here is a quick refresher on the hits that made him famous in two genres.

“Hold My Hand” (1994) – the breakthrough single from Cracked Rear View, Hootie & the Blowfish’s debut album and one of the best-selling albums in US history
“Let Her Cry” (1995) – won the band a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group
“Only Wanna Be with You” (1995) – still a radio staple three decades later
“Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” (2008) – his first solo country single, which went to No. 1 on the country chart
“Wagon Wheel” (2013) – his cover of the Old Crow Medicine Show song, which won the Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance

A historic country career

When “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” topped the chart in 2008, Rucker became the first Black artist to score a country No. 1 since Charley Pride in the early 1980s. In 2012 he was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry, one of the highest honours in country music. The documentary looks at how a rock singer from South Carolina won over Nashville.