Lainey Wilson has become one of the biggest names in country music. She was named the 2023 Entertainer of the Year and recently hosted the 2024 CMAs alongside Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan.
Wilson will be the halftime show performer as the Cowboys host the Giants on Thanksgiving day. She has long said she is a Steelers fan hidden in her Louisiana family's Saints fandom. Wilson had another connection to the Steelers, as she began dating former Pittsburgh quarterback Devlin "Duck" Hodges in 2021.
Here is the relationship timeline for Wilson and Hodges.
NFL HQ: Live NFL scores | Updated NFL standings | Full NFL schedule
Lainey Wilson-Duck Hodges dating timeline
2021: Wilson and Hodges started dating. They were introduced through mutual friends in Nashville. Their first date was at a dance hall and saloon Wilson said was known for its cheap drinks and live music called Silverados. While some may have thought it was a red flag that a first date was done on the cheap, Wilson loved it and talked about it in an interview with People.
"We went to this old place called Silverados, and it had free beer and wine from 5 to 10 p.m. I was like, ‘This boy likes to ball on a budget too. This is gonna work out.'"
April 2023: You may notice a huge gap in their relationship timeline. Wilson and Hodges decided to keep their relationship private for over two years. Speculation about the couple began when Wilson played a concert in Pittsburgh while wearing a Hodges jersey. He wasn't exactly a household name, so it stuck out like a sore thumb that she was wearing it. Plus, he stopped playing for the Steelers in 2021 and had since retired from football, making it even more suspicious.
Hodges tried his hand at acting and posted about it on X.
Did she really?!?! Y’all are lying !!!! @laineywilson holla at me !!! 🏈 https://t.co/g0YzSA6Nnh
— Devlin Hodges (@DevlinHodges10) April 29, 2023
Wilson got in on the act and responded.
This is me hollerin 🤠
— Lainey Wilson (@laineywilson) April 30, 2023
It was a wild instance of worlds colliding at the time, but really, the couple had already been dating behind the scenes.
WEEK 13 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kickers
May 2023: The couple finally went public at the 58th ACM Awards on May 11. Hodges joined Wilson when she walked the red carpet, wearing a blue suit, a bolo tie and a white cowboy hat.
November 2023: Hodges was Wilson's plus-one again, this time to the 2023 CMA Awards. The couple matched in coordinating all-black outfits, complete with a black cowboy hat for each. Wilson was announced as the 2023 Entertainer of the Year. When she stood up to accept the award, she kissed Hodges. During her acceptance speech, she thanked the former quarterback for all his support and added, "I love you, Duck."
October 2024: Wilson posted on her Instagram hyping up her new song 4x4xU. She added a clip of her and Hodges riding together with the caption, "ain't nowhere I'd rather be."
Outside of those moments, Wilson and Hodges have continued keeping their relationship behind the scenes. He attends events with her and she talks about him during interviews, but their relationship is largely their own, which is the way it should be.
