Lainey Wilson’s Fiance Duck Hodges Is Her ‘Biggest Cheerleader’—Inside Their Love Story
The CMA host found her forever love in former NFL player Duck Hodges—here's their sweet story
With the 2025 CMA Awards coming up on November 19, fans are already excited to see Lainey Wilson, known for hits like “Heart Like a Truck,” “Watermelon Moonshine” and “Things a Man Oughta Know,” dazzle as the show’s host. The Grammy Award-winning Louisiana native has taken to the CMA stage before when she hosted last year’s ceremony alongside Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, but this year, she’s tackling the job solo—and it’s safe to assume she has her beau, fiancé Duck Hodges, cheering her on. Here, read all about the relationship between Lainey Wilson and her boyfriend-turned-future-hubby, their sweet engagement story and what she’s said about him.
Meet Lainey Wilson’s former football-playing fiancé
Football fans might recognize Lainey’s fiancé, Devlin “Duck” Hodges, thanks to his time on the football field, as the country star’s guy played for both the Steelers and the Rams. He later went on to spend some time with the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Redblacks. It was back in 2021 when the duo first met through mutual friends, and while Duck might no longer be killing it out on the football field (he now makes his career in real estate), both he and Lainey remain endlessly supportive of one another.
“He is one of the purest hearts and people that I have ever met,” Wilson told People. “He is my biggest cheerleader. We don’t really play by the rules.” Though their busy careers have kept them apart for periods of time over the years, the duo has found the magic when it comes to making it work for them. “You have to definitely carve out the time. It has to be something that you’re very aware of, and you’re like, ‘Okay, I’ve got a day off here in 10 days. I’ve got to dedicate that day to spend time with my person.’”
Lainey Wilson and Duck Hodges’ sweet engagement story
In February, Wilson revealed on Instagram that Duck had gotten down on one knee, and their story is as romantic as it gets. “4x4xU forever,” she wrote in the caption of her post, referring to her hit song, “4x4xU.” In the time since she revealed her engagement, Lainey has opened up about the sweet way in which her now-fiancé surprised her. The couple had long wanted to visit the George Jones estate, the former home of country icon George Jones. When they arrived, however, Lainey realized they weren’t just there for a tour.
“I had talked myself into thinking he was going to do it that day. And then I called my sister, I said, ‘He’s going to propose to me today’,” Wilson told WTVF-TV. “And then I talked myself out of it because I thought, ‘Man, I sure would be upset if I talked myself into this and that don’t happen’.”
With a bright future ahead of Lainey and Duck, the singer can’t help but gush over the man she’s marrying. “Duck is the kind of dude who high-fives me on the way in the door and on the way out and says, ‘Go get it,’” she told People. “He knows how important this dream is to me. I was never really able to write love songs, because I don’t know if I had actually felt it, but I’m writing me some love songs now. I’m grateful for him.” Wishing this duo a lifetime of happiness!
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