Devlin “Duck” Hodges and Lainey Wilson.Photo:Leah Puttkammer/FilmMagic
Leah Puttkammer/FilmMagic
Devlin “Duck” Hodgesis supporting his girlfriendLainey Wilsonon her big night.
The couple stepped out together for the 2023CMA Awardsat Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, walking the red carpet hand-in-hand before the ceremony — where Wilson was the most-nominated artist with nods in nine categories.
The “Heart Like a Truck” singer wore a black strapless jumpsuit with mega-flare legs featuring black satin ruffles as well as a cowboy hat and statement jewels, while the former NFL player-turned-real estate agent sported an all-black suit with a matching cowboy hat.
Devlin “Duck” Hodges and Lainey Wilson.Jason Kempin/Getty
Jason Kempin/Getty
Wilson delivered a fiery performance of her latest single “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” during the ceremony, and she’s won two of her nine nominations — music video of the year and musical event of the year, both for “Wait in the Truck” with HARDY — as of midway through the show.
Check out PEOPLE’s full CMA Awards coverage to get the latest news on country music’s biggest night.
Hodges and Wilsonbegan dating in 2021but didn’t go public with their relationship until two years later when he accompanied the performer to theACM Awardsin May 2023.
In an interview with PEOPLE earlier this year, Wilson explained why she and Hodges waited to clue fans in on the relationship. “I said, ‘We gonna see if you’re in it for the right reasons.’ Turns out, he is,” she said. “Somebody said how funny it was watching him high-five all of my artist friends at the ACMs, and I said, ‘Those arehisfriends!’"
“He’ll FaceTime me, and he’ll be with HARDY and Morgan [Wallen] and Luke [Combs], and I’m like, ‘Stop stealing all my buddies,'” she continued at the time. “They’ll always be out golfing and drinking a beer. I don’t have to convince anybody to like him. He’s a very lovable person.”
Wilson also opened up about meeting Hodges through mutual friends in Nashville. “We went to this old place called Silverados, and it had free beer and wine from 5 to 10 p.m.,” she said. “I was like, ‘This boy likes to ball on a budget too. This is gonna work out.’”
Devlin “Duck” Hodges and Lainey Wilson.Leah Puttkammer/FilmMagic
After telling the world about their romance, Wilson said, “it feels really good to talk about it.”
“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 added. “He knows how important this dream is to me.”
source: people.com
