Introduction to Lainey Wilson
Lainey Wilson has become the host of the Country Music Association Awards in 2025, which will be broadcast on ABC. This year, she will be performing the tasks alone, after being one of three co-hosts for the previous year. The producers’ decision to choose Wilson as the sole host is a sign of how quickly her star has risen and how dominant she is as an ambassador for country music.
A Rare Event
This will be a rare event where an artist who is nominated for the most trophies on a television prize show is also hosting the show. Wilson is tied with Ella Langley and Megan Moroney for the most nominations with six nominations. It is only the second time in the past 22 years that the CMAs have gone with a solo host, with the previous case being when Luke Bryan took over the reins for the program in 2021 alone.
Past Experience
In 2024, Wilson came on board as the third member of the hosting team, joining Luke Bryan and football great Peyton Manning, who had been a duo in the past two years. Wilson has expressed her excitement about hosting the show, saying "I grew up with the CMA Awards as if it were the Super Bowl." The 59th annual show will be broadcast on ABC from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on November 19 at 8 p.m. and will be available to stream on Hulu the next day.
Role Models
If Wilson were to remain as a host in the coming years, she has a few role models whose boots she could possibly follow. Vince Gill had a long stay as a host with his 10-year run, but the hosts who achieved the largest number of years in the role were Carrie Underwood, who took over the role for a dozen years from 2008 to 2019, followed by Brad Paisley, who co-hosted with Underwood in the first 11 of these 12 years.
Awards and Nominations
The awards that Wilson is up for this year include the top prize, Entertainer of the Year, which she previously won in 2023 in a surprise victory when she was nominated for the first time. This time, she is considered a leading favorite to regain it, thanks to the success of her first headliner arena tour. Wilson’s other five nominations this year are for Single of the Year and Song of the Year (both for "4x4xu"); Album of the Year (for "Whirlwind"); and Music Video of the Year (for "Any Blood Over Laredo", a single in the Deluxe version of "Whirlwind").
Rise to Fame
"Whirlwind" is only Wilson’s third major label album, after starting her career climb with "Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’". A small recurring role in the hit TV series "Yellowstone" ensured her ascent to fame. In the past five years, she has had eight top 5 goals in the Country AirPlay chart, five of whom as a solo artist and three as a featured Duet partner. Wilson’s nominations and hosting gig are a testament to her hard work and dedication to her craft, and fans are excited to see what the future holds for this talented country star.
