Photo via Instagram

Perhaps it's time for John Paul White and Joy Williams to give fans some clarity.

In November of last year, we reported that The Civil Wars—who were at the time touring Europe and the U.K.—had suddenly scrapped their entire upcoming schedule and were heading home. The duo, which had just performed their largest crowd to date of 25,000 at the Austin City Limits Festival, cited "internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition."

There have since been very few updates other than old archive content, casual posts by Williams (and her husband Nate Yetton) on social media and vague updates that suggest their Sensibility Music company is seeking to broaden its roster. While little has been said about the Wars' future (an Instagram photo recently revealed that new music was being reviewed in the studio), White has been noticeably absent from the picture (his Twitter account has been dormant since their November announcement). But that all changed on Sunday, when they won a Grammy alongside Taylor Swift and T-Bone Burnett for their Hunger Games soundtrack contribution.

While most fans were excited to see The Civil Wars win another Grammy, those watching the live online pre-telecast ceremony were quickly aware of an awkward tension onstage. White appeared as the odd man out, standing with his arms folded most of the time. Williams and Swift interacted like giddy high school girls, smiling and chatting it up, but Williams hardly acknowledged her [former?] partner in crime. The entire three minutes, which included Williams thanking Swift and Burnett but no mention of White, were like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Until Sunday, White and Williams had successfully laid low, even as music lovers read between the lines. But the tension was pretty obvious on the Nokia stage, as a plurality of fans called their appearance "disheartening" and "uncomfortable to watch."

At press time, The Civil Wars have not addressed fans' latest concerns, other than Williams' recent pre-Grammy suggestion that she hoped they would release new music this year. White in his acceptance speech on Sunday provided a veiled hint that perhaps it was his desire to tour more than Williams (the new mother of a 7-month-old baby boy) might have wanted at this time, referencing a conversation he had 17 years ago with his wife: "If things went the way that I wanted them to [career-wise], I would not be around much."

While it is certainly Williams and White's decision to share (or not share) more with fans, as this is likely a painful and difficult time behind-the-scenes, Sunday did make quite apparent that fans are overwhelmingly feeling confused and brokenhearted about what now appears to be a former duo that just a year ago showed so much promise.

Watch the video of their acceptance speech below.