Photo: Getty Images
Lainey Wilson gave “the finger” during the 59th CMA Awards on Wednesday night (November 19) in Nashville, Tennessee.
No, not that finger, fellow singer-songwriter Cody Johnson clarified as he introduced Wilson to the stage.
Wilson performed “Ring Finger.” The “sassy” cheating anthem appears on her latest studio record, Whirlwind, which won Album of the Year earlier in the evening: “I got the ring/ He got the finger/ Yeah I hit the road 'fore we's on Jerry Springer/ Love is sweet but you know what's sweeter/ I got the ring/ He got the finger.”
On Sunday (November 16), Wilson teased her performance during a press conference at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. She told Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern that her performance was “gonna be fun,” and the CMA audience would get to see “that real fiery side of me, that sassy side…I got that crazy side.” Wilson’s performance of “Ring Finger” arrived after she arrived on stage with an epic medley of hits by some of the genre’s biggest artists. The two-time host teamed up with Charlie Worsham and Keith Urban to cover hits by Chris Stapleton, Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert and more.
“I wanna keep this a celebration of country music. I want it to be a night to lift people up,” Wilson said during the press conference earlier this week.
Other artists in the star-studded lineup throughout the evening included Kelsea Ballerini, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Old Dominion, The Red Clay Strays, Chris Stapleton, BigXthaPlug, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore and Stephen Wilson Jr., Keith Urban and Little Big Town. Presenters and special guests included Lady A, Alison Brown, Jessica Capshaw, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lauren Daigle, Jordan Davis, Elizabeth Hurley, Cody Johnson, Bert Kreischer, Brandon Lake, Ella Langley, Steve Martin, Leanne Morgan, Ne-Yo, Chris O’Donnell, Kimberly Perry, LeAnn Rimes, Alan Ritchson, Lara Spencer, Billy Bob Thornton, Grace Van Patten, Gretchen Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman.
The 59th CMA Awards is airing live on ABC. The show will be available to stream on Thursday (November 20) on Hulu. Check back with iHeartCountry throughout the evening for a live-updated list of winners, red carpet fashion, performance highlights, backstage moments you won’t see on TV, and other can’t-miss moments throughout the show.