Lainey Wilson Named USA TODAY 2026 Woman of the Year

Lainey Wilson has been named a 2026 USA TODAY Woman of the Year, a recognition that traces the arc of a career built not on overnight success but on years of stubborn, faith-fueled perseverance.

Growing up in Baskin, Louisiana, a farming community of fewer than 300 people, Wilson wrote her first song at age nine and felt the pull of a larger stage from the moment she set foot inside the Grand Ole Opry as a child. She moved to Nashville in 2011, parking a camper trailer outside a recording studio and grinding through years of rejections, self-released projects, and small-venue shows before the industry caught up to her.

"I was known as the camper trailer girl around town," she says. "And there were definitely times when I should have probably packed it back up and went back home to Louisiana, but there was this just burning fire inside of me and this faith that I was given a gift and I was supposed to share it."

The turning point came when her music found its way into the Paramount series "Yellowstone," eventually leading to a role tailored specifically for her by the series' creator, Taylor Sheridan. Her No. 1 single "Things a Man Oughta Know" arrived in 2021, and the accolades followed in a torrent: 16 ACM Awards, 12 CMA Awards, a GRAMMY for Best Country Album for Bell Bottom Country, and induction into the Grand Ole Opry in June 2024. In November 2025, she solo-hosted the CMA Awards, becoming only the third woman in the show's history to do so, following Dolly Parton in 1988 and Reba McEntire in 1991.

Parton, for her part, has taken notice of everything Wilson has built. "I can't think of anyone more deserving of this award than Lainey Wilson," Parton tells USA TODAY in an email about her friend being honored as a USA TODAY Woman of the Year. "She is a prime example of talent, hard work, and a soft heart. She told me once that I have been an inspiration to her. Well, guess what, Lainey? You are an inspiration to me as well. Congratulations girlfriend! I will always love you."

Wilson's collaborations now include Reba McEntire and Miranda Lambert on the track "Trailblazer," and her reach extends beyond music into acting, including a lead role in the upcoming film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's Reminders of Him. Business ventures include a Golden West Boots artisan collection and a Wrangler apparel line. Offstage, she is engaged to former NFL quarterback Devlin "Duck" Hodges.

As for what comes next, Wilson keeps her answer rooted in the same values that carried her through the lean years. "I hope people can see that I was just a girl with a big old dream from a tiny town," Wilson says, "who didn't let anything stand in her way, who treated people right, who meant what she said, who followed through, who worked hard and loved people and wrote some damn good songs."