Lainey Wilson hints at wedding date after winning top prize at the 2025 CMAs
Five artists were nominated for Entertainer of the Year at the 2025 CMA Awards, but only one was able to secure the title.
Laine Wilson ultimately won the final category of the ceremony on Wednesday, November 19 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, defeating Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton And Morgan Wallen.
“I had so much fun being the emcee of this event here tonight,” Wilson, 33, began as she accepted the evening’s top prize. “I just came in here to celebrate country music, the love of my life, and I know the love of so many of you all.”
She also thanked her parents and her fiancé, Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodgesand added, “We’re getting married next year, come on!”
“I couldn’t do this without my village. It takes a village,” she continued. “I just have the most incredible team, people who work tirelessly all the time, and I just don’t even know what to say. Thank you so much. Thank you for loving me and supporting me, and thank you to the fans. They continue to make my dreams come true every day. I love you all, God bless. We’re about to party on [Wilson’s Nashville bar] Bell rings.”
Wilson began to leave the stage before remembering that she had to close the show as this year’s emcee.
“I forgot I was hosting this thing,” she joked. “This is crazy! Congratulations to all our nominees and our winners. Thank you so much for allowing me to speak up on this legendary stage and celebrate the best genre in the world: country dang music!”
Ahead of the 2025 awards, Wallen, 32, was the reigning Entertainer of the Year after taking home the award in 2024. He has been nominated a total of four times throughout his career.
Combs, 35, previously won the award two years in a row in 2021 and 2022, amid his six Entertainer of the Year awards.
Wilson triumphed in the category in 2023, earning a total of three career nominations.
Prior to the 2025 awards, Stapleton, 47, had been nominated for Entertainer of the Year nine times since 2016, without ever winning the award.
For his part, 38-year-old Johnson earned his first nomination in the category this year.
Entertainer of the Year contenders received several awards in other categories at the 2025 event. Despite being the only woman competing for the night’s top prize, Wilson led the pack with a total of six nominations, including Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for WhirlwindSingle of the Year and Song of the Year for ‘4x4xU’ and Music Video of the Year for ‘Somewhere Over Laredo’.
The 59th annual Country Music Association Awards is gearing up for a memorable ceremony full of music and even more memorable moments. The 2025 awards show, which airs on Wednesday, November 19, will be hosted by Lainey Wilson. “I grew up watching the CMA Awards like it was the Super Bowl, so to host […]
Johnson followed with four nods for Male Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “I’m Gonna Love You” with Carrie Underwood. (Before the live show started, PostMalone And Blake Sheltons “Pour me a drink” and Ella Langley And Riley Greens ‘You Look Like You Love Me’ won ‘Music Event of the Year’ and ‘Music Video of the Year’ respectively.)
Wallen, Combs and Stapleton followed with three nominations each, including a nod for all of them in the Male Vocalist of the Year category. They were also nominated for Album of the Year for Wallen’s I am the problemSingle of the Year for Combs’ “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” and Music Video of the Year for Stapleton’s “Think I’m in Love With You.”
All nominees for Entertainer of the Year were already CMA Award winners prior to Wednesday’s ceremony. Stapleton had 19 trophies to his name, Combs and Wilson were tied with nine each, while Johnson had three and Wallen had two.
