Lainey Wilson will soon be a married woman. The Louisiana native recently announced her engagement to Devlin “Duck” Hodges, a former football player whom she has been dating since 2021. Keep reading to find out more about their sweet love story.
1. How They Met
Wilson and Hodges met through mutual friends, but Wilson had an idea he was The One from their date.
“We went to this old place called Silverados, and it had free beer and wine from 5:00 to 10:00 PM,” Wilson recalls to People. “I was like, ‘This boy likes to ball on a budget too. This is gonna work out.’”
2. Why She Waited to Go Public With Their Relationship
When Wilson and Hodges began dating, her debut Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ album had just been released. She chose to keep her relationship private for two years, before finally going public with him on the red carpet at the ACM Awards in 2023.
“I said, ‘We gonna see if you’re in it for the right reasons.’ Turns out, he is,” Wilson says. “Somebody said how funny it was watching him high-five all of my artist friends at the ACMs, and I said, ‘Those are his friends!’”
3. How He Supports Her Career
In the four years since Wilson and Hodges began dating, her career has exploded. Hodges, a former professional football player, has been nothing but supportive of her, even if her success means she spends a lot of time away from home.
“He knew getting into this, this is what I’ve been doing my whole life, this is what I’m gonna do, and so he knew what he was getting himself into,” Wilson shares on Audacy’s Rob + Holly. “He is a supportive cheerleader and he’s got his own things going too, and I support him and I cheer him on. He high-fives me in the door and on the way out.”
4. The Things They Have in Common
Hodges might not have anything to do with the music business. Still, Wilson says his sports ambitions aren’t unlike her music goals, which is why they work so well.
“He knows what it’s like to start from the ground up,” Wilson says. “He walked on, he tried out for the Steelers and made it. He knows what it’s like to have a dream at a very young age. He went to football camps, and anything he could be involved with, he did it. It was the same way for me. He had extremely supportive parents, me too. They kept us involved in whatever it was we were interested in, and they saw something in us that maybe we felt was deep down in us, but they helped us see those dreams through.
“And so, we understand each other,” she continues. “He knows how important this job is to me and this business and he knows I have worked my butt off to be here and ain’t nobody gonna stop me from doing what I need to do.”
5. The Famous Friends They Share
Wilson might be the celebrity, but Hodges hangs out with her famous friends as much as she does, and sometimes more. Hodges is especially close to Luke Bryan, with Wilson joking that she is often excluded from the plans the men make together.
“He Facetimes me and my boyfriend Duck all the time,” Wilson shares on Country Countdown USA. “The other day, he called Duck and said, ‘Hey man, I’m going to Arkansas to go hunting if you want to join me.’ I’m like, I can duck hunt too. What about me?’ Peyton [Manning] and Duck are also buddies.”
6. The Song Inspired by Hodges
It wasn’t until Hodges that Wilson felt inspired enough to write love songs. But on Whirlwind, Wilson’s last record, she finally included romantic tunes, including “4X4XU,” which became Wilson’s eighth No. 1 hit.
“The truth is, I write what I know, and I finally found a man worth writing about,” Wilson said (via American Songwriter). “So you know it’s a love song because y’all probably thought, ‘Dang, she ain’t got it in her… but I do. I got me a cheerleader.’”
7. The Proposal
Hodges proposed to Wilson at George Jones’ former mansion. Although it’s unclear if Wilson or Hodges bought the property, per Taste of Country, the house was listed for sale in 2024, for just under $6 million. Jones passed away in 2013, and his widow, Nancy, sold the house in 2015.
Regardless of who owns it, the home was the perfect setting for Hodges to pop the question. A video captured the two at the top of the stairs, with Wilson later flashing her gigantic ring Hodges gave her. Wilson shared the moment on social media, captioning the post, “4X4XU forever.”
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8. The Ring
Hodges went all out with his future bride’s ring. According to Brides magazine, the ring is very trendy, and definitely meant to be shown off.
“Lainey Wilson’s engagement ring has it all!” says Olivia Landeau, the founder and CEO of The Clear Cut. “Her engagement ring appears to be a bold cluster ring with multiple diamonds. It is definitely a statement piece, and she is leaning into the cocktail-style ring as an engagement ring trend.”
No word if Wilson had a hand in picking the ring, but she did hint that she wanted a very large ring.
“I don’t care what shape it is, but I want to be walking with a limp,” she said on Country Heat Weekly. “Duck is listening to this going oh gosh, oh gosh.”
9. Wedding Planning
Wilson has yet to say what kind of wedding she wants, but most of the planning will have to be on the road. She will embark on her Whirlwind World Tour on March 4 in Zurich, Switzerland. Wilson has several overseas shows before returning to North America. The tour concludes on November 8.
Wilson did give herself some time off at the start of the year, for the first time ever in her career.
“I need to get bored … I’m looking forward to sitting around a bonfire at night and waking up late and sitting on the porch with my dog,” Wilson told NME. “I’ve been touring solid since I was in eighth grade.”