Lainey Wilson did not need a halftime show to get back on the field at AT&T Stadium.
Before the Cowboys hosted the Buccaneers on Thursday night, October 8, she was down in the west end zone, boot scootin’ with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders All-Stars.
They did not just dance. They recreated her viral dance to “Phone, Keys, Wallet,” her recent single, with the cheerleaders right beside her.
For Wilson, it was a reunion, and it capped a big week. Two nights earlier, she and Brandon Lake had won a GMA Dove Award in Nashville for “The Jesus I Know Now.” The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year was back on a football field by Thursday.
Lainey Wilson Called Her Thanksgiving Halftime Show a Big Steppingstone
Two years ago, on Thanksgiving Day 2024, Lainey Wilson performed the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Kickoff halftime show when the Cowboys played the Giants, a tradition that has kicked off the Red Kettle campaign every year since 1997. The cheerleaders worked up fiery choreography for “Hang Tight Honey,” from her album Whirlwind, and Jelly Roll joined her for a duet.
The Cowboys’ Thanksgiving game is one of the most-watched games of the NFL season, so that was about as big as a stage gets.
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She talked about that day with Kristi Scales of the Cowboys Radio Network, who writes for the Dallas Morning News.
“It was a special moment in my career,” she said, adding that it was a big steppingstone.
She was not intimidated by the size of that crowd.
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“When you’re performing in front of more than 90,000 people, to me, the more the merrier!” she said.
She Says the Cheerleaders and Country Fans Have a Lot in Common
Wilson had nothing but praise for the squad. She said she appreciates the confidence the women carry.
“These girls keep their heads high and their shoulders back,” she said.
Like the cheerleaders, she is a role model for a lot of young fans. She admitted she is human, and she said she hopes those fans see someone who works hard, is kind and stands up for what they believe in.
She also said a football crowd and her own crowd have a lot in common.
“True blue fans. People who love it. People who love football. People who eat, breathe, and sleep it. Country music is the same. It’s good people sharing a passion for good music,” she said.
She had another reason to be there. Her new song, “Kinda Love It,” came out that same night, and she will perform it on Amazon Music Live after Thursday Night Football on October 15.
The Louisiana native keeps coming back to the Cowboys’ field. Somewhere in Texas, a little girl watching from the stands in a pair of bell bottoms is already practicing the “Phone, Keys, Wallet” dance, and someday she might be the one out there.
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