It’s hard to imagine anyone cheating on Lainey Wilson, but the country singer behind hits like “Hang Tight Honey” faced exactly that heartbreak early in her career. In a recent interview on Joel Madden’s Artist Friendly podcast, Wilson opened up about that painful chapter.
Today, Wilson is happily in a loving relationship with former NFL player Devlin “Duck” Hodges. They’ve been together for several years but kept their romance private until 2023.
While Wilson and Hodges still keep many details under wraps, they occasionally appear together at events and share glimpses of their life on social media. For example, in October, Wilson posted a sweet video of them riding in a side-by-side, set to her love song “4x4xU.”
Wilson has explained their choice to keep things low-key:
“When it comes to mine and Duck’s relationship, there’s going to be some things we can’t escape, and people will say whatever they want. But we’re on the same page: the less we share, the less we have to deal with people making things up. We want to keep that sacred between us, and so far, it’s worked.”
A Past Heartbreak: Infidelity Early in Nashville
Before finding happiness with Hodges, Wilson endured significant heartbreak. On the podcast, she revealed that one of her early Nashville boyfriends cheated on her — and even got another girl pregnant.
This painful discovery came at a devastating time. Wilson’s mentor and close family friend, Jerry Cupit — who had been a key figure in her early career — had just passed away. Cupit had connections in the music business and had generously let Wilson live in her camper parked at his studio while she got established. Together, they wrote hundreds of songs.
“It was all happening at the same time,” Wilson shared. “I was like, when it rains, it pours. I learned to just embrace the heartbreak. I kept thinking, is this really happening to me? Like, am I getting punked? Maybe it’s happening so I have something to write about.”
Thankfully, things eventually took a turn for the better. Today, Wilson is one of country music’s rising stars — sharing her success with someone who truly loves her.
You can hear more from Wilson about her relationship with Devlin “Duck” Hodges in the video below.
