Lainey Wilson’s Pick for CMA Entertainer of the Year This Year Might Surprise You [Exclusive]

Nominations for the 2024 CMA Awards are out, and once again, the race for Entertainer of the Year includes the genre's biggest names.

That makes picking your favorite to win pretty tough, but Lainey Wilson — who is nominated for the category this year, and is the reigning Entertainer of the Year from both the CMA Awards and ACM Awards — knows who she thinks should get it in 2024.

This year's CMA Entertainer nominees include, in addition to Wilson:

Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen

Wilson stopped by Taste of Country Nights to chat with host Evan Paul, and the topic of who she thinks should win the night's big prize came up.

Related: Miranda Lambert Makes Her CMA Awards Entertainer of the Year Pick

She recognizes that competition for her is stiff, and when asked if she feels pressure to win again, she admitted she's still trying to prove herself.

"I've worked my butt of this year to prove to the folks that thought I didn't deserve Entertainer of the Year, to show them why the people in this town chose me," the "Hang Tight Honey" singer explains.

"So, if it don't happen, that's alright. There's so many people in this town that deserve to win all of these awards who have never even been nominated," she says.

Pressed to name names on who should win in 2024, Wilson says she's all-in on one guy:

"I mean, Jelly Roll a hundred percent, and Morgan (Wallen)."

"Even Miranda (Lambert) for CMAs," she continues, though Lambert is not nominated for EOTY this year.

"There's so many people, and it had been a long time since a girl had won Entertainer of the Year for CMAs, and it's crazy to think about that. That should not be the case."

The "Heart Like a Truck" singer is very thankful to those who've paved the way for her.

"There's so many folks who's done it, so I can do it," she says.

We'll all find out together who wins Entertainer of the Year when the 2024 CMA Awards air on Nov. 20 at 8PM ET on ABC.

Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 130 country radio stations nationwide, every night from 7PM to midnight. The radio show reaches over 21 million listeners per week. He plays the best new country music and interviews today's top stars, like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, + more!