Lainey Wilson teased that her 2025 CMA Awards performance will showcase her “sassy” and “fiery” side, and she also talked about filling some “big ol’ shoes” as she follows in the footsteps of Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton as only the third solo female host in CMA Awards history.
During a press conference on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 16), just days before the 59th Annual CMA Awards, the 33-year-old country superstar shared a few details about her performance and opened up about what’s going through her mind as she prepares to host the show solo for the first time.
Wilson will make history at this year’s CMA Awards as only the third woman to host the show solo, following Dolly Parton (1988) and Reba McEntire (1991). “I’m excited, I really am. I feel just… I’m just proud. I feel so much joy. I mean, this is a big deal. It’s some big ol’ shoes to fill. So I don’t take it lightly,” she admitted. “It’s a huge responsibility. Honestly, I’m trying not to think about how much of a big responsibility this is… but it is because I care about Country music so much, and I always have and like I said earlier thinking about Dolly being a solo female to do this and then Reba, it’s some really big shoes to fill, but I feel like I’ve asked a lot of questions from the women who have been willing to just share wisdom along the way, which is also showing me how important it is to share that wisdom with the people coming up to if they ask for it. So I think I’m equipped. I’m ready. I’m ready to whip some butt.”
She then revealed that she reached out to Reba McEntire, the last solo female to host the CMA Awards more than 30 years ago, for advice.
“I texted Reba last night and I said, ‘if you had one piece of advice to give me going into this week, what would it be?’ And I thought she was just going to say something like, ‘just be yourself and have fun,” Wilson continued. “She sent me a list. I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. One piece of advice. But yeah, it’s like I said, it’s some really big shoes to fill, and I just feel so honored.”
This will be her second time hosting the CMA Awards, after co-hosting with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning in 2024. She plans to take what she learned from Bryan and Manning and apply it to her hosting duties this year.
“Honestly, just to not take yourself too serious. They got out there. I mean, they were just letting it loose and going into it, I kind of thought, ‘oh man, this might be a little stressful. You need to know where you’re going, where you’re at, what you’re saying, and what you’re doing,’ and they just went with it, and you could tell that they were themselves,” Wilson said of what she learned from Bryan and Manning. “So just being able to be there with them last year just taught me a lot. I know, like I said, that this is a big deal, but it’s important for me to have fun while doing it, and so I’m going to try to remember that. I’m going to try to just not take myself too serious.”
Lainey Wilson will take a break from her hosting duties during the show to set the stage ablaze with a performance that showcases her “fiery” and “sassy” side. Although she didn’t share many details, she did tease that viewers can expect something she’s never done before on the CMA Awards stage.
“It’s gonna be fun. I will say for the CMAs specifically, maybe the CMAs haven’t gotten to see that real fiery side of me, like that sassy side,” the Baskin, Louisiana native explained. “But a lot of the people who know me…know that I got that side. I got that little crazy side. It just is what it is. So you’re going to see some sass, and it’s going to be fun.”
In addition to Wilson, the 2025 CMA Awards will also feature performances from BigXThaPlug, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Ella Langley, Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Megan Moroney, Miranda Lambert, Old Dominion, Patty Loveless, Riley Green, Shaboozey, Stephen Wilson Jr., The Red Clay Strays, Tucker Wetmore, Zach Top and more.
Lainey Wilson is also among the most-nominated artists at the event alongside Ella Langley and Megan Moroney, earning six nominations, including Single of The Year (“4x4xU”), Album of The Year (Whirlwind), Song of The Year (“4x4xU”), Female Vocalist of The Year, Music Video of The Year (“Somewhere Over Laredo”) and the night’s highest honor, Entertainer of The Year.
“I’m so proud. I just remember even being at home in Louisiana and watching Miranda a few times that I saw her acceptance speeches. She was always talking about how there’s not enough girls. Where are the girls at? And I think she’s one of them that would be really proud to see how things are starting to kind of turn, because the girls aren’t doing it and they’re not just like half-assed doing it,” Wilson said. “They really doing it. For a girl to make it, she has to really make it. And Megan and Ella both. It’s just so cool and refreshing to see these ladies who have a vision, they have their eye on the prize, they work hard, they show up when they say they’re going to show up. Their fan bases are just great fan bases. I mean, they love ’em and support ’em. And you can tell that they’re going to be there to the bitter end. And I think both of those girls right here are going to be around for a long time. So I’m excited to see some ladies like that who are not going anywhere.”
“Country Music’s Biggest Night” airs live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 19 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on ABC and is available the next day on Hulu. Tickets for The 59th Annual CMA Awards are on-sale now at CMAawards.com/tickets.
