Lainey Wilson, a now four-time Entertainer of the Year winner, will officially be performing at the Macy's Day Parade this year. The parade will include an opening performance by Cynthia Erivo, as well as other acts such as Ciara, Jewel, Kool & the Gang, and more. This will mark Wilson's first time joining the parade's lineup, wrapping up her already impressive year with a bow.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Aside from earning the hosting spot on the CMA stage this year and earning six nominations, Wilson had a pretty impressive run in 2025. In August 2024, she released her fifth studio album, Whirlwind, and embarked on a headline tour in March 2025. This tour is set to conclude only this month. Wilson also swept at the ACMs in May, taking home titles like Female Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for Whirlwind, and Artist-Songwriter of the Year.
Not only is she professionally thriving, but Wilson's also been keeping fans updated on her personal life. In February of this year, Wilson got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Devlin "Duck" Hodges, after four years of dating. To commemorate the milestone, she even performed her song "Ring Finger" at the CMA Awards this week. Check it out below.
Lainey Wilson Talks About Her "Dark Days" Before Making It Big
Even though Lainey seems to be seeing the fruits of her labor now, there was a time when she was just a high school graduate sleeping in a camper trailer in Nashville, Tennessee. In November 2022, she showed Good Morning America the backyard where she parked her trailer for her first three years in Nashville.
"I feel a sense of hopefulness standing here, but I also feel a little sadness," she shared. "There have been some dark days for me. I was very lonely. I didn't know hardly anybody in town. Tornadoes would roll through, and tornado sirens would be going off. I had to sleep in three or four jackets, three pairs of socks to stay warm." She told GMA, "If I had known it was gonna be this hard, I don't know that I would go and do it again." Even still, the country star shared that ultimately, "There was no plan B" for her.
Now, it seems that Lainey Wilson has gone from sleeping in a camper trailer to becoming one of the biggest names in the genre she holds so dear. While accepting her award for Entertainer of the Year, she summed up her purpose perfectly. "I just came into here just wanting to celebrate country music, the love of my life, and I know the love of so many of y'all's lives."
Photo By: Getty / Erika Goldring
