Photo: Getty Images
Lainey Wilson said she was so broke” when she met Devlin “Duck” Hodges.
The reigning Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, 33, reflected on that point in her life in a new sneak peek for her upcoming Netflix documentary, Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool. Wilson shared a photo of the night she met Hodges, 29, at Silverado’s, a since-closed bar in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I was broke. I was so broke when we met [in 2021],” Wilson said in the sneak peek. “And he thought I was doing a little better than I was. But a few weeks after we met, my sister had to Venmo me a couple hundred bucks.”
“I knew whenever I had written my first song that I loved how it made me feel when I was in the middle of writing a song, when I was coming up with the idea, feeling like, ‘Man, I created something from nothing. How cool is that?’ And I knew that that feeling was so special that I couldn’t completely let it go,” the “Yesterday, All Day, Every Day” singer continued in the sneak peek. “And I think that’s why I knew it was my calling.”
Wilson and Hodges have since shared stories about their first date. Wilson said in an interview with Southern Living Editor-in-Chief Sid Evans that she “was lying” on the date with Duck. “I told him that people call me Goose. I was lying, but he fell for it. I think he was like, ‘Oh, I’m in love.’” Hodges reminisced on the first date during an appearance on the Like a Farmer podcast.
Hodges popped the question to Wilson in February 2025 at late legend George Jones’ estate in Franklin, Tennessee, outside of Nashville. Wilson said she’d been “wanting to see the George Jones estate for quite some time, and his buddy had it listed for sale.” When the couple arrived, Wilson said she knew her fiancé had “different plans. …It could not have been more perfect.”
“I couldn’t be more excited that this documentary is going to be on Netflix,” Wilson said in a statement when the documentary was announced earlier this year. “This was such a special project to make, and I hope that folks who watch it see that no dream is too big and that staying true to who you are will always lead you exactly where you’re meant to be.”
Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool is due to release on April 22. The documentary “follows Wilson as she redefines what it means to be a modern country star, proving that staying true to yourself can lead to major success. The film captures a pivotal moment in her career, exploring the country icon’s personal journey and chronicling her struggles and triumphs as she captivates fans on stage across the country,” per Netflix.
Wilson is among the country artists nominated at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, returning this spring to Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. See the list of country artists nominated here.
Like in years past, iHeartRadio is letting the fans choose the winners in several new and established categories. Fan voting will determine this year’s Favorite Broadway Debut, Favorite TikTok Dance, Favorite Debut Album, Best Lyrics, Best Music Video, Favorite On Screen, Favorite Tour Photographer, Favorite Soundtrack, Favorite Tour Style, Favorite Tour Tradition and Favorite K-pop Collab. Social voting begins on January 8th, and will close on March 19th at 11:59pm PT for all categories. Fans can vote by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.
Tune in to see which artists will take home an iHeartRadio Music Award on Thursday, March 26th at 8pm ET live (PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The show will also be broadcast on iHeartRadio stations across the country and on the iHeartRadio app.