It’s wildflowers and wild engagement rings now. Lainey Wilson got her wish about walking with a limp under the weight of her new diamond-festooned sparkler.
The country star, 32, announced Wednesday her engagement to former NFL star Devlin “Duck” Hodges, 28. In a series of photos and videos posted on Instagram, the “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” singer posed in front of a brick building and showcased her sizable engagement ring. She captioned the post with the title of her love song “4x4xU.” (The “Yellowstone” actor dedicated that song to Hodges in October upon its release.)
The stoop, likely the site of Hodges’ proposal, was strewn with red roses, candles and framed photographs. Hodges apparently popped the question with a tiny cowboy hat-shaped ring box — a nod to Wilson’s ever-present headgear. The retired athlete, who played for the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, is now a Memphis-based real estate agent who specializes in land and recreational properties.
Representatives for Wilson and Hodges did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times’ requests for comment.
Wilson has made no secret about her eagerness for a proposal. In September, she joked about her prospective engagement ring during an appearance on the podcast “Country Heat Weekly.”
“I don’t care what shape it is, but I want to be walking with a limp,” the Louisiana-born singer said. “Duck is listening to this going, ‘Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh.’ Better go get you a loan, baby!”
The Grammy Award winner and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback have reportedly been dating since 2021 and took their relationship public in May 2023 when they stepped out together at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Wilson recently explained that she didn’t really write love songs until she met Hodges.
“The truth is, I write what I know, and I finally found a man worth writing about. So you know it’s a love song because y’all probably thought, ‘Dang, she ain’t got it in her, she ain’t got it in her’ … but I do,” Wilson said onstage during a Nashville concert last summer. “I got me a cheerleader.”
The couple’s engagement comes on the heels of Wilson’s announcement in January that she would embark on a world tour this spring to promote her Grammy-nominated country album “Whirlwind.” The tour kicks off in Zurich on March 4 and is set to stop at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Aug. 22 and the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Aug. 23.
