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Backstage Country

Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley, Elle King To Host CMA Fest Special

The Country Music Association announced today (6/5) that CMA Fest, the Music Event of Summer, airs on ABC on Wednesday, July 19, at 8/7c. The three-hour primetime concert special, which…

Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley, Elle King To Host CMA Fest Special
Photo - CMA/ABC

The Country Music Association announced today (6/5) that CMA Fest, the Music Event of Summer, airs on ABC on Wednesday, July 19, at 8/7c. The three-hour primetime concert special, which is set to film in Nashville during CMA Fest's milestone 50th anniversary later this week, will be hosted by Dierks Bentley, Elle King, and Lainey Wilson.

CMA CEO Sarah Trahern said, "I could not be more excited to welcome Dierks, Elle, and Lainey as our 'CMA Fest' hosts this year. As fans experienced last year, the energy Dierks and Elle bring to the stage is palpable and will only be amplified with the addition of Lainey this year."

She added, "Each of these artists have a deep passion for CMA Fest and the Country Music fans from around the globe who travel to Nashville for the event. We are thrilled to have all three of them together to help us celebrate 50 years!"

Lainey posted to her Instagram this morning (6/5), "We're about to have a dang good time…so excited to host #CMAFest with @dierksbentley and @elleking! We're bringing it to a TV near you on Wed. July 19 on ABC."

Fan loved Lainey's post, with one writing, "Can't wait (fire emojis)." Another fan commented, "Oh, Lainey! I'm so proud of you." One more fan said, "If you're hosting, I'm watching! Lainey, you'll be putting on a great show! I love a woman in bell bottoms and beautiful hair, with or without the hat! Anyway, you'll do great!"

See Wilson's Instagram post here.

Wilson recently revealed a new man with her at last month's ACM Awards. She made it official by walking the red carpet with him, arm in arm. The new man is former Pittsburgh Steelers football player Devlin Hodges.

Lainey and her whole band wore Hodges' Pittsburgh jersey when she performed with Luke Combs in late April. Hodges responded to a tweet from a fan that posted about Wilson sporting the jersey. He wrote, "No freaking way.. !! Wow!"

See that post here.

Devlin then responded to another fan and tagged Wilson via Twitter, asking her to holla at him. He wrote, "Did she really?!?! Y'all are lying !!!! @laineywilson holla at me !!!" She replied, "This is me hollering." He responded to her writing, "OH.MY.GOD, hello."

See that post here.

After two years of CMA Fest being canceled due to COVID, it was back this year in full display with country superstars like Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, and many more taking the Nissan Stadium stage in Nashville.

We gathered some highlight photos of this past weekend's CMA Fest in Nashville.

Nicole Kidman - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 09: Actress Nicole Kidman is seen backstage during day 1 of CMA Fest 2022 on June 09, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Keith Urban - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 09: Keith Urban performs during day 1 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 09, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Zac Brown, Darius Rucker - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 09: (L-R) Darius Rucker and Zac Brown of Zac Brown Band perform during day 1 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 09, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Kane Brown - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 10: Kane Brown performs during day 2 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 10, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Carly Pearce, Wynonna - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 10: (L-R) Carly Pearce and Wynonna Judd perform during day 2 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 10, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Thomas Rhett - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 10: Thomas Rhett performs during day 2 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 10, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Kelsea Ballerini - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 10: Kelsea Ballerini performs during day 2 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 10, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Dierks Bentley - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 12: Dierks Bentley performs during day 4 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 12, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Dierks Bentley, Elle King - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 12: (L-R) Dierks Bentley and Elle King perform during day 4 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 12, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Luke Combs - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 11: Luke Combs performs during day 3 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Luke Bryan - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 11: Luke Bryan performs during day 3 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Carrie Underwood - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 11: Carrie Underwood performs during day 3 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.