Lainey Wilson shared her pre-show ritual with Jimmy Fallon when she joined the actor and comedian on The Tonight Show on Tuesday (September 10).
The Grammy-winning country star caught up with Fallon about her newly-released studio album, Whirlwind, her first CD, her job as a Hannah Montana impersonator (and the full-circle moment she experienced when she met Miley Cyrus), and more. Wilson took the stage after her conversation with Fallon, who brought up the singer-songwriter’s pre-show ritual.
“Most of the time, I do this thing called ‘holler and swaller.’ But we’re not doing that,” Wilson replied. “Instead, we’re gonna do this new thing that we started doing called the ’squat and shot.’ OK? So we’re gonna, like, drop it low and then you’re gonna take a shot. And we’re gonna see if you can get back up.”
Fallon wanted to know, “why do you squat?” And Wilson said, “I mean, just to see if, you know, if your pants are good.” Wilson’s “squat and shot” ritual on The Tonight Show arrives months after she had a wardrobe malfunction on stage. Wilson’s pants split during her performance, and she later shared a video of her new squat routine before a show to make sure “my britches don’t rip” again. The Bell Bottom Country artist did not bring up that incident on The Tonight Show, however, or share when she started the “squat and shot” as a pre-show ritual.
“Are you ready? Are you gonna need, like, a Life Alert or something to get back up?” Wilson asked as she and Fallon grabbed shots of whiskey and stood up together. Fallon said, “all I know is I can’t turn around once we play this game. These are real tight. This is from two seasons ago.”
Wilson performed “4x4xU” from her new 14-track album. She wrote the romantic ballad with Jon Decious and Aaron Raitiere. The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year and multi-nominee at the 2024 show released the song prior to Whirlwind’s August 23 debut. The highly-anticipated project also includes “Country’s Cool Again,” “Good Horses” with Miranda Lambert, “Hang Tight Honey” and more.
“Whirlwind is kind of the Western sister of Bell Bottom Country,” Wilson previously said in a press release. “Since that album, I have gotten to experience so many new things and meet folks from different walks of life. Because of that, I’ve become a better songwriter, and I have more understanding. I feel like I’ve truly stepped into what it is that I’m called to be doing. Ironically, I found my path within all the craziness—and that’s the whirlwind.”