Lainey Wilson, the CMA\u2019s 2023 Entertainer of the Year, is set to take center stage once again, this time as the solo host of the 2025 Country Music Association Awards.<\/p>\n
The nine-time CMA Award winner will host the broadcast live from Nashville\u2019s Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 19 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST on ABC. The rebroadcast will be available the next day on Hulu.<\/p>\n
“I grew up watching the CMA Awards like it was the Super Bowl, so to be hosting for a second year is a true honor,” said Wilson. “I\u2019m humbled that CMA has trusted me with this role, and I can\u2019t wait to love on this genre that has given me so much.”<\/p>\n
Notably, for the past three years, country chart-topper and “American Idol” judge Luke Bryan, along with National Football League Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, have co-hosted the festivities.<\/p>\n
Wilson joined the duo in 2024. It was the first time in five years that the event had a female host.<\/p>\n
2025 Country Music Association Awards host Lainey Wilson adds to surge in female artists taking the spotlight<\/h2>\n
In 2019, a trio of women \u2014 Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, and Carrie Underwood \u2014 served as co-hosts.<\/p>\n
Three weeks ago, the 2025 Country Music Association Awards nominations highlighted another female trio \u2014 Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson \u2014 as the event’s top nominees, with each receiving six CMA nominations.<\/p>\n
The evening’s most prestigious honor, Entertainer of the Year, will be a contest between prior winners Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen and Wilson, plus prior nominees Cody Johnson and Chris Stapleton.<\/p>\n
Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson and Peyton Manning speak onstage during the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024.<\/p>\n
Wilson, who was the Female Vocalist and Music Video of the Year winner in 2024, is nominated for Entertainer, Single, Song, Album, Female Vocalist and Music Video of the Year. Her hit “4x4xU” earned nods in both Single and Song of the Year, while “Whirlwind” earned a nod for “Album of the Year.” Additionally, she claimed a Music Video of the Year nomination for her current single, “Somewhere Over Laredo.”<\/p>\n
“I’ve finally got a seat at the table and am taking full advantage of it. More than ever, I’m bound and determined to work hard, continuing to introduce myself to people as an artist with a look and a sound that people get and want to digest,” Wilson said.<\/p>\n
“Including Ella, Megan and me, there’s a long line of showstopping ladies who have put everything into honing their craft and are lined up and ready to grab the world’s attention. Just like us, they’re all prepared to be recognized and noticed, too.”<\/p>\n