Back to Back! Lainey Wilson Crowned ACM Entertainer of the Year

Lainey Wilson did it again. The “4X4XU” singer won the ACM Awards this year, taking Entertainer of the Year once again.

Laine “freaking” Wilson (as presenter Blake Shelton called her) looked stunned to hear her name. She stood up and hugged fiancé Duck Hodges before accepting the award, her third of the night and fourth total for these ACMs.

Earlier, Wilson won Female Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for Whirlwind. She also won Artist-Songwriter of the Year, which was presented pre-show.

In accepting Entertainer, the Louisiana native thanked the other artists in the category for believing in her and for supporting her dream. She also admitted she gets imposter syndrome. This award was surely validating.

“I dreamed about entertaining. I love making people feel things,” she said of her childhood, “because I love to make you feel things.”

As her voice cracked she recalled her sister taking her dad’s hunting light and shining it on her so she could have a spotlight. It’s a similarly nostalgic acceptance speech as her last EOTY win in 2024, and the CMA EOTY win in 2023.

Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton and Morgan Wallen were also nominated in the category.

After Thursday night’s win, Wilson is now the ACM Entertainer of the Year for the second year running. She also won the trophy in 2024 and also became a Triple Crown Winner in the process, since she previously won New Female Artist of the Year and Female Artist of the Year.

Since then, Wilson has kept busy with the August 2024 release of her Whirlwind album, featuring songs like “Hang Tight Honey” and “4X4XU.” She also spent much of the year out on the road for her Country’s Cool Again Tour.

The 2025 ACM Awards took place in Frisco, Texas. Reba McEntire hosted the show, which streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Remember: The best way to watch the ACM Awards is on TV, with ToC on your phone.