On Nov. 19, Lainey Wilson will become the first woman to host the CMA Awards solo in 34 years. The last was Reba McEntire in 1991. Wilson, during an appearance on this week’s new episode of Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, can’t believe that statistic.
“I looked it up too and I was like, there’s no way. I let Reba know I was doing this and she was so excited,” Wilson says. “It’s been a long time since a woman has done it solo. I’m glad they trust me. I like to run my mouth and I love country music.”
Wilson’s solo turn, however, means that bro hosts Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, who helmed the show since 2022 (with Wilson joining them last year), are out. Wilson says she doesn’t know how CMA producer Robert Deaton broke the news to the guys.
“ I have no clue, but I guess Luke ain’t mad at me ’cause I’ve talked to him since,” Wilson jokes. “Honestly, he was probably happy to have a year off. And Peyton too, because they’ve been doing that for a while now…. Those guys are such genuine people that I think they’re happy for me. I really do.”
With the awards and live telecast a short six weeks away, Wilson will soon throw herself into rehearsals, both for her performance and her opening monologue. She has one request: Allow her to joke about her country colleagues.
“If I can poke fun at people, hey, we good,” she says. “I tried to get them to let me do it last year and they were like, ‘whoa, whoa, whoa… that’s too far.’ But I go way back with these people. Let me make fun of Luke Combs, please.”
Wilson, who just released the deluxe edition of her album Whirlwind, and is set to bring her Whirlwind World Tour to New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday. Last week, she headlined Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, where she’ll return on Nov. 19 to host the CMAs.
The 59th annual Country Music Association Awards air live from Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.
Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone’s weekly country-music podcast, Nashville Now, hosted by senior music editor Joseph Hudak, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). New episodes drop every Wednesday and feature interviews with artists and personalities like Hardy, Charley Crockett, Gavin Adcock, Amanda Shires, Margo Price, Dusty Slay, Lukas Nelson, Ashley Monroe, Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor, and Clever.
