"This One's Going To Be Extra Special": Lainey Wilson On Hosting 60th Annual CMA Awards

Lainey Wilson is all set to host the 60th annual CMA Awards - the country star's third consecutive year hosting the show, and second year solo hosting.

November 2026 will mark the CMA Awards 60th anniversary, honoring a show that's history is rooted in celebrating a genre and all of the different artists who share a profound respect and appreciation for it.

"This one's going to be extra special," said Wilson in a recent press release. We couldn't agree more, as the longest running annual music awards program comes up on its official 6-decade stretch - with Wilson being the third female host in the show's history, next to country legends Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire.

The CMA Awards first aired in 1967, but was established nine years prior in 1958, as a rebuttal towards the quickly growing rock 'n' roll scene at the time. Because of these roots, the show became a place dedicated solely to country music.

The same sentiment holds true 60 years later, and with the genre's phenomenal 2026 run, and Wilson's hosting, the CMA Awards are sure to be an event that is a celebratory reflection on country music roots, and how far the expansion of the genre has truly come.

12-time CMA Award winner Lainey Wilson as host lassos viewers in for a good time, every time. In 2025, the 'Wildflowers and Wild Horses' crooner welcomed fans and her Nashville colleagues with an electric medley of country songs classic and modern, as she serenaded artists such as Ella Langley, Shaboozey, Miranda Lambert, Brooks and Dunn, and Little Big Town with their hits. She topped the performance off with an immediate pan to Australian country star Keith Urban, as he performed his hit 'Where The Blacktop Ends.'

That was just one of many striking moments Wilson had her hand in the year prior, and with an important anniversary approaching such as the 60th, here at Holler we trust she'll know all the right ways to honor a long history of the songs, albums, and artists we all love.

Though we're not sure what this year's show is going to look like exactly, country stars who seem to have a good chance of taking one, or multiple awards home continue to stand out.

For this writer, Ella Langley is at the top of that list. Nearing the end of her dream-like year of success, Langley is an artist that seems like a no-brainer pick for the over 7,000 professional voting members in the program to award her the prestigious Female Artist of the Year and Song of the Year titles.

Similarly, Luke Combs is a strong pick for many of the entertainment awards. In categories such as Male Artist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, Combs is a strong contender due to his My Kinda Saturday Night tour and the success of his new The Way I Am album.

Moreover, a heartfelt Dolly Parton tribute can be expected at the 60th show, honoring a legend just months after her passing. With this, and artists of all kinds up for many well-deserved awards, Wilson's idea of the annual CMA Awards holds true - the show will certainly be extra special.