The CMA Awards are set to light up ABC on Wednesday night, and On The Red Carpet is offering an exciting sneak peek of the grand event that celebrates the best in country music.
Returning as host this year is Lainey Wilson, who is also in the spotlight with six nominations, including the coveted Entertainer of the Year.
Wilson fondly reminisced, “As a little girl, I would eagerly wait in front of the TV for the CMA Awards. It was like the Super Bowl in my house.”
After making her hosting debut alongside Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning last year, Wilson steps into the role solo, joining the ranks of iconic hosts like Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire as the third woman to host the awards alone.
Reflecting on her journey, Wilson remarked, “It’s surreal to have even been invited to attend, let alone be nominated and win. Hosting and representing country music is a huge honor, and I know that little girl watching TV would be incredibly proud.”
Wilson joins a prestigious list of Entertainer of the Year nominees, including Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, and last year’s winner, Morgan Wallen.
Meanwhile, matching Wilson with a year’s best six nominations are two other leading ladies of country music, Megan Moroney and Ella Langley, whose win for Musical Event of the Year with Riley Green in 2024 was announced live during the “On The Red Carpet at the CMA Awards” preshow.
“This is the first award I’ve ever won,” Langley told On The Red Carpet. “This is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do with my life, so this is a very big deal for me and a very special night.”
Langley and Green won for their hit “You Look Like You Love Me” which is nominated again this year for both Single and Song of the Year.
Langley is also nominated for New Artist of the Year along with Shaboozey, Zach Top, Stephen Wilson Jr. and Tucker Wetmore.
“I moved to Nashville five years ago,” Wetmore told On The Red Carpet. “And I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t know anything. I just had a handful of songs and a dream.”
A CMA Award nomination is a special honor, not just for first-time nominees like Wetmore, but even those artists who are here year after year like Little Big Town and Lady A.
“It’s all about the Nashville community,” Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman told On The Red Carpet. “For our friends to nominate us and vote for us and to have voted enough that we took so many awards home, it’s just really special.”
“The CMA Awards has always felt kind of like the Grammys of Country Music,” Lady A’s Charles Kelley said. “It being in town, in Nashville, you know makes it even that more special. It just always felt like one of those ones that felt a little extra reverent for us.”
Lady A and Little Big Town are nominated for “Vocal Group of the Year” along with Rascal Flatts, The Red Clay Strays and Old Dominion who’ve won in the category a historic seven consecutive years.
The 59th CMA Awards are live on ABC Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 8/7c.
Don’t miss our live streaming preshow, “On The Red Carpet at the CMA Awards” beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT before the ceremony featuring live interviews with the nominees, performers and presenters, red carpet fashion analysis and more! You can stream it all live at OnTheRedCarpet.com, CMAAwards.com, YouTube.com/OnTheRedCarpet and on Hulu.
And watch our full episode, “On The Red Carpet: CMA Awards Preview” in the video player above.
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