Elise Nelson
·4 min read
Lainey Wilson’s parents are her muse! In 2023, the country singer told American Songwriter that she became who she is today because of her family. “I love them, I really do. I feel like I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t raised by Brian and Michelle Wilson,” Lainey said.
Who Is Lainey Wilson’s Mom, Michelle Wilson?
Michelle and Brian live in Lainey’s hometown of Baskin, Louisiana. Lainey’s mom was previously a schoolteacher, so education was important in the singer’s childhood. During a 2022 episode of Southern Living’s “Biscuits & Jam” podcast, Lainey said of Michelle, “My momma’s the kindest woman I know … also knows how to work hard and loves people and loves her family. And, yeah, I’m a Wilson through and through.”
Here’s a fun fact for HARDY fans: Lainey’s mom became close with the singer-songwriter’s mom after their kids collaborated on “Wait in the Truck.” Lainey revealed on the “Mo & StyckMan PLUS” podcast that their mothers are “the best of friends” now.
“The other day, I walked in and my mama was getting a recipe from somebody on the phone,” she explained. “I said, ‘Who was that?’ And she said, ‘Oh, that’s Mama HARDY.’ Me and HARDY don’t even talk like that! It’s like, ‘I’ll see ya when I see ya, brother.’”
Who Is Lainey Wilson’s Dad, Brian Wilson?
Brian is a fifth-generation farmer who grows corn, wheat and oats. Lainey revealed on “Biscuits & Jam” that her dad woke “up at the butt crack of dawn and in late at night” to tend to the fields and even put her and her sister, Janna, “to work.”
“A lot of the time, if we wanted to spend time with him, we had to go out to the field and ride the tractor with him,” she said. “He’s the hardest-working person I know.”
In addition to his work as a farmer, Lainey’s dad once had his own musical aspirations. The “Heart Like a Truck” singer told People in June 2023, “When he was a little boy, he used to roll a picnic table out on the side of the highway and stand on top of it with his guitar and pretend that he was Glen Campbell for the cars passing by. So, he's getting to live vicariously through me, and I'm so glad and so thankful that he is around to see the things that are happening right now. He's real proud.”
What Happened to Lainey Wilson’s Dad?
In 2022, Brian was hospitalized for two months while he was treated for a fungal infection that led his left eye to be removed, as well as bones in his face. He also had a stroke. Brian underwent nine surgeries during his hospital stay and was admitted to a rehab facility for three weeks.
Lainey spoke about her father’s condition at the 2022 Country Music Association Awards. “A few months ago, my daddy got real sick and we thought we were gonna lose him,” she said. “He spent two months in ICU, he’s walking the carpet with me tonight. He’s here. This one right here’s for my daddy.”
Amid her father’s health crisis, Lainey was offered her role on Paramount’s Yellowstone, as Michelle revealed in Hulu’s Lainey Wilson: Bell Bottom Country documentary in May 2024. She almost turned down the offer because of it.
“When Lainey was shooting up to the top, we were having some major lows in our life,” Michelle recalled. “My husband was diagnosed with mucormycosis, which most people don’t live through.”
However, Lainey’s dad wasn’t going to let her give up the opportunity. “I said, ‘If I’m supposed to be here, I’ll be here. If I’m not, you come to my funeral,’” Brian said. “I mean, it’s hard to tell somebody to do that, but to me, it was the right thing to do.”
Though it was difficult, Lainey followed her dad’s wishes. “I would do a line and would go over to the corner and I’d cry and then I’d come back and I’d do a line,” she recalled. “Of course, my job is very, very important but I still am a daughter and I think it was maybe life’s way of keeping me grounded and reminding me what is most important.”
