Lainey Wilson gladly and proudly shared her CMA Awards spotlight on Wednesday night (Nov. 9) with her dad, Brian Wilson. The elder Wilson faced a series of life-threatening health issues in recent months, starting in July with a fungal infection caused by diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
As Lainey revealed ahead of the show, her dad was her red carpet date. Notably, both wore accessories inspired by the family's Wilson Ranch in Louisiana. Yet that feel-good moment wasn't the only special memory for the father-daughter pair.
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The most-nominated artist on the entire ballot, Lainey won two of the night's most coveted prizes: New Artist of the Year and, in a decision that establishes her as a current megastar, Female Vocalist of the Year. In her acceptance speech for the latter, she thanked her support team and all 200 residents of Baskin, La. before shifting her focus to her special guest.
"I was definitely not expecting this at all. I look up to every single one of the ladies in this category. They have all influenced me and inspired me — and I'm so honored just to even be nominated for this. This is huge," Wilson said. "I want to say, a few months ago my daddy got real sick and we thought we were gonna lose him. He spent two months in ICU and he's walking the carpet with me tonight. He's here. This one right here is for my daddy, Brian Wilson. I ain't talking about the Beach Boy, I'm talking about the cowboy! I'm so excited that you're here with me. This is for my family who believed in me before anybody did. And again, the best team in the world and the best fans. I promise you, I know I'm new to a lot of folks, but I won't let y'all down — I promise you."
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Lainey has been candid during promotion of new album Bell Bottom Country about her dad's health situation.
"He was in the hospital for two months," Lainey told Today's Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen on Apple Music Country. "He was in a rehab facility for three and a half weeks, and then he just had his 60th birthday. He's still got a long way to go, but he's here."
In an interview with Taste of Country Nights, she added that the fungal infection "completely took out the left side of his face" and necessitated the surgical removal of dead tissue.
Lainey joined Glen Campbell, Kacey Musgraves and Brad Paisley as the only artists with six CMA nominations in their first year on the ballot. She was also up for Song of the Year ("Things a Man Oughta Know") and Album of the Year (Sayin' What I'm Thinkin') as well as Music Video of the Year and Musical Event of the Year (both for Cole Swindell duet "Never Say Never").
