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Host Lainey Wilson Hopes The CMA Awards Let Her Roast Artists In The Crowd: “I Tried Last Year… They Were Like ‘Whoa, Whoa, Too Far'”
The CMA Awards are nearly here, and there is a new host in town for this year’s famed event.
Last month, the CMA Awards announced that the previous Entertainer of the Year winner (2023), Lainey Wilson, will return to host the show, which she previously co-hosted with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning.
It looks like they’re going to adopt the one-host model this year, which I think is the right move because it truly doesn’t require three people to host this show, and Lainey certainly has the personality and experience to do it on her own.
In addition to hosting, Lainey is one of the most nominated artists this year, tied with Megan Moroney and Ella Langley, who all have six nods across the 12 major categories. Last year, Lainey won two CMA Awards, taking home the trophies for Female Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.”
The bell-bottom queen is ready, are y'all? @LaineyWilson returns to host "The 59th Annual #CMAawards" LIVE November 19 on @ABCNetwork and stream next day on @Hulu! pic.twitter.com/WtnRaKKg57
— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) September 30, 2025
It sounds like it could be a night to remember for Wilson, and a busy one at that.
Recently, Wilson sat down with Joseph Hudak for an episode of Rolling Stone’s podcast, Nashville Now, where the two discussed her upcoming hosting gig. Hudak first asked Wilson if she knew how the CMA Awards broke the news to Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning that they would no longer have co-hosting responsibilities at the event. While Wilson did not know precisely how they were told, she made it seem like they were not upset about it.
“I have no clue. I guess Luke ain’t mad at me because I’ve talked to him since. Honestly, he was probably, like, happy to have a year off. And Peyton, too, because they’ve been doing that for quite a while now.
But yeah, they were so gracious yesterday for me to kind of bust up the party, and I don’t know how they broke the news to them, but… Those guys are just so like, just such genuine people that I think they’re happy for me. I really do, I think they’re happy for me.”
Wilson shares that they will start rehearsing very soon and that they are in the brainstorming phase of the show, mapping out her script and how she will be integrated into the evening’s performances. She very well could be running around with her head cut off, making outfit changes, potentially accepting awards, and ensuring the whole show stays on track.
However, Wilson is not going to do it all herself and is looking forward to involving some of her friends and fellow country music colleagues.
“It’s going to be fun to involve other artists, involve other people. Maybe just like have some bits, you know? I think it’s going to be a lot of crowd participation, which I’m excited about. If I can poke fun at people, hey, we’re good.”
Host Joseph Hudak then asks Wilson if she plans on poking fun at her friends in the industry while she’s on stage, and it sounds like Wilson already has her victims in mind if the CMA Awards let her have some fun on stage.
“I’m going to try to if they let me! I tried to get them to let me do it last year; they were like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s too far.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I go way back with these people.’ Like, let me make fun of Luke Combs, please!”
HA.
Luke Combs is always a character to watch at the CMA Awards, famously going viral for his reaction after Chris Stapleton won his 8th Male Vocalist of the Year honor.
Luke Combs’ reaction to Chris Stapleton winning Male Vocalist of the Year was ICONIC #CMAwards pic.twitter.com/CC7ShJXLe6
— Jaxie Pidgeon (@JaxiePidgeon) November 21, 2024
And with that solo cup in hand, it’s a given that Combs is having a time at these award shows.
Luke, whatcha got in that cup, bud?@lukecombs #CMAawards pic.twitter.com/StnytEzjEu
— Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) November 21, 2024
Something tells me that he’d love to have a few jokes pointed in his direction from his longtime friend, Miss Wilson. I hope the CMA Awards let Wilson have some fun on stage. I’m sure it will keep viewers engaged and will break up the seriousness of the show.
I can’t wait to (hopefully) hear the jokes fly come November 19.
The post Host Lainey Wilson Hopes The CMA Awards Let Her Roast Artists In The Crowd: “I Tried Last Year… They Were Like ‘Whoa, Whoa, Too Far'” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
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