Lainey Wilson hosts CMAs after admitting she lied to fiancé on first date

Lainey Wilson will return as host Country Music Awards on Wednesday night, just weeks after she admitted that she lied to her now-fiancé Devlin “Duck” Hodges on their first date.

Wilson will be the third woman ever to host the CMAs again. Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire were the only women asked to return as hosts ahead of Wilson’s big night on Wednesday.

Leading up to Nov. 19, Wilson shared that she texted McEntire asking for advice on how to navigate the awards show on her own.

“There’s so much joy. I think it’s going to be a great week. I mean, this is a big deal. I mean, there are some big ol’ shoes to fill. So I’m not taking it lightly, but… I’m going to do the one thing… we’ve only had a solo host three times: Dolly, Reba, Lainey, which is wild,” Wilson said during a press conference on Sunday.

LAINEY WILSON reveals details of an intimate marriage proposal and sees a ‘very simple’ wedding

“I texted Reba last night and said, ‘If you could give me one piece of advice at the start of this week, what would it be?’ And I thought she was just going to say something like, “Just be yourself and have fun.” She sent me a list. I thought, “Wow, who’s advice,” she said.

“But yeah, it’s like I said, there’s some really big shoes to fill and I’m just really honored. Thank you all for allowing me to keep my mouth shut and celebrate country music,” Wilson added.

Last year, Wilson co-hosted the 2024 CMAs with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning.

Wilson and Hodges appeared on the red carpet in matching black blazers and cowboy hats during the 2024 CMAs – a historic evening that marked Wilson’s hosting debut.

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Just before Valentine’s Day 2025, Hodges popped the question. “4x4xU forever ❤️,” Wilson captioned it Instagram postannouncing the couple’s engagement.

In October, Wilson interviewed Wide, open country and shared details about the couple’s first date in 2021. She told the outlet that she lied to Hodges, a former NFL player, on their first date to impress him.

WATCH: CMAS host LAINEY WILSON texted REBA MCENTIRE asking for advice before hosting the big show alone

Hodges opened the date by telling the singer the story behind his nickname “Duck,” which came from his days as a college football player.

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“He said he played football at Samford University, and the coach there said, ‘You remind me of one of my favorite quarterbacks ever, and his name was Duck.’ And he had an outstanding season this year. And so the whole team started saying, “It’s duck season; It’s duck season!” That’s how he got Duck,” Wilson explained.

Wilson quickly realized she wanted to tell a story and lied about people calling her “Goose.”

“On our first date, I told him that people call me goose. I lied, but he fell for it. I think he was like, ‘Oh, I’m in love,'” she told the outlet.

Wilson has previously opened up People magazine about the difficulties that come with being a touring artist.

“You definitely have to schedule the time. It has to be something that you’re very conscious of and you say, ‘Okay, I have a day off here in 10 days. I need to dedicate this day to time spent with myself.’ And we both need that and we deserve it, and it’s always great. “We just try to soak up these moments as much as we can,” Wilson told People in August.

Country star Lainey Wilson got engaged after joking that she “may have to propose” after three years.

In September, Wilson said Taste of the country that she knows her marriage to Hodges will be successful because of their similar approach to managing their finances.

“I’ll tell you this about Duck, he’s pretty frugal, except When it comes to good hunting stuff, like getting ready for duck season and having the appropriate gear and whatever, that’s the thing he likes to do,” she said.

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Wilson has no problem with her future husband’s large purchases because she doesn’t want him to control her purchases. “I’m not going to tell him what to do because he’s not going to tell me what kind of guitar I can buy, you know?” she said.

In August, the Yellowstone star shared wedding planning details with Hodges.

“Well, you won’t believe this, but we still haven’t planned it, thank God,” Wilson said Taste of the country at the time.

While no concrete plans have been made yet, Wilson told the medium that she and Hodges have discussed the details of their wedding, including the guest list.

“Of course we sit around and talk about what we want. I’m just trying to figure out what it is.” [the wedding] big or small? Is cousin so and so coming? Isn’t cousin so-and-so?”

The 59th Annual CMA Awards will take place on November 19, 2025 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Larry Fink of Fox News Digital contributed to this report

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