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Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley delivered two of the biggest performances of the night at the CMA's I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton TV Special. Now, Wilson has taken to socials to share some behind-the-scenes moments with Langley.
Wilson has uploaded a carousel of photos showing her hanging out backstage with Langley, her husband Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges, Little Big Town and Lukas Nelson. Wilson and Nelson took the stage together to cover Parton's ‘You Can't Make Old Fiends’, while Langley serenaded viewers with one of Parton's most iconic hits, ‘Jolene’.
Wilson and Langley's friendship has been one of the more heartening developments in the country music world over the past year or so, with Langley regularly expressing her gratitude for how Wilson has guided and comforted her at difficult moments.
The ‘Choosin’ Texas’ hitmaker famously thanked Wilson during her 2026 ACM Awards acceptance speech, after winning Female Artist of the Year, and revealed that Wilson had prayed with her backstage when she was feeling especially overwhelmed.
There's a black-and-white photo of Wilson with her arm around Langley as they walk backstage, a shot that feels like it captures the warmth of these two aritsts’ friendship.
With Wilson having cemented herself as one of the biggest artists in modern country music, and Langley being the break-out star of 2026, it's heartwarming and encouraging to continue to see the camaraderie between two leading women in the genre.
While the media attempts to pit them against one another and cause division, the likes of Wilson, Langley, Miranda Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini and so many others are making a point of showing just how united the top female artists in the genre are today.
With the CMA Awards fast approaching, and Langley widely expected to sweep the biggest gongs of the evening, women in country are dominating the scene - and Wilson and Langley's friendship epitomises the underlying spirit of lifting one another up that refreshingly permeates the genre today, as opposed to one of envy and competition.
Wilson outlined in her caption, “I'll always be asking myself WWDD” - i.e., ‘What Would Dolly Do?’ It's safe to say Dolly would also be be elevating and supporting the artists coming after her, just as Wilson is with Langley and numerous others.
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