Overview
- The Country Music Association announced on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday that Lainey Wilson will host the 60th Annual CMA Awards live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on November 18, airing on ABC and Disney+ with next‑day availability on Hulu.
- This will be Wilson’s third consecutive year as host and her second straight solo stint following a 2024 co‑hosting role; she is a 12‑time CMA winner and was named Entertainer of the Year in 2025.
- The announcement was timed to College GameDay’s 500th on‑the‑road broadcast from LSU in Wilson’s home state and is part of a promotion that will reveal nominees on Sept. 10 on Good Morning America and the CMA’s YouTube channel.
- Production credits for the broadcast list Robert Deaton as executive producer, Alan Carter as director and Jon Macks as head writer, and the CMA says tickets will be available through its official site later this month.
- The 2026 telecast marks the awards’ 60th anniversary, a milestone framed as a celebration of six decades of country music and made notable by the rarity of repeat solo female hosts dating back to Dolly Parton’s solo turn in 1988.