Why Lainey Wilson Got Engaged at George Jones’ House

Lainey Wilson‘s engagement to Duck Hodges took place on George Jones‘ old front porch, which — when you think about it — was the perfect place.

The Possum is known for sad songs and drinking songs before his catalog of love songs, but Hodges’ pick for a location to drop to a knee is still plenty romantic. Some serious internet sleuthing turned up the right spot and why he took Wilson there.

Then, we stumbled upon a potential plot twist that could really turn the moment upside down, if true.

• Wilson and Hodges — a former NFL quarterback — began dating in 2021, but didn’t go public until the ACM Awards in 2023.
• She revealed she was engaged on Wednesday evening (Feb. 12).
• No information about a wedding has been revealed.

Related: See Lainey Wilson’s Eye-Popping Engagement Ring

In a video shared to social media, Wilson is seen strutting down a set of brick steps to show her engagement ring off to the camera. Toward the end of the video, fans can see a large square monogram with “GJ” etched into it.

If you blink, you’ll miss it, and we just figured it held family significance … until we Google Image searched and discovered it’s George and Nancy Jones’ old home!

The couple lived in the 9,700 sq. ft., Franklin, Tenn. mansion until Jones’ death in 2013. It was built in 1993 and sat on 80 acres before Nancy began selling off the land. In 2015, she sold the home and 25 acres for just under $2 million.

Wilson is a huge George Jones fan. In fact, she kicked off her new Whirlwind album with a song called “Keep Up With Jones” that works as a tribute to the legendary partier.

“I could get up on a little wild hair white lightning / Do a little two lane John Deere riding / Lead me to a neon sign and the race is on,” she sings at the chorus.

“I been known to play Possum on a barstool sitting / Jukebox gold and the whole room spinning / Living in the middle of a country and Western song / I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones / I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones.”

“I feel like me and the Possum would’ve been great friends,” she says. Wilson has always commented on how her mother and father used to play Jones’ music often when she was a little girl.

A Zillow listing shows you everything you’d want to know about the four-bedroom, seven-and-a-half bathroom home (see pictures below), and that brings us to the plot twist.

Did Lainey Wilson Buy George Jones’ House?

To be clear, we’re only speculating (Wilson’s rep hasn’t responded), but it’s a question worth asking, because George Jones’ house is listed for sale at the McEwen Group website, and Zillow had it marked as “contingent” earlier this month.

So, did Lainey Wilson (or Duck Hodges) buy George Jones’ old house? If Duck did it, that would be a double engagement gift, especially if he got a good deal … because as we all know, the “4X4XU” singer loves a man who can “ball on a budget.”