Lainey Wilson Almost Quit Yellowstone Because of a Personal Tragedy
Lainey Wilson is now well-established as Abby on Paramount’s hit series Yellowstone.
But she nearly quit the show when tragedy struck, leaving her family "really, really going through it" while her career opportunities had the 30-year-old singer "on top of the world."
Speaking on the Dutton Rules podcast, the country star described how she seriously considered quitting Yellowstone at the time.
"In the middle of filming of Yellowstone, my daddy was in the hospital," said the "Things a Man Oughta Know" singer. Adding, "He spent two months in (the) ICU in Houston, fighting for his life."
At one point, Lainey said, "The doctors told us he's not gonna make it, there's a big chance he's not gonna make it."
And it was her father that told her there was no way she was going to quit the show and throw away her acting debut.
"I was in Houston with my daddy standing next to his bed," she said, "and I was like, 'I'm not going to film. I can't do it. I can't do it.'" But her dad woke up and told her "'I don't care if it was my funeral, if you got a job that needs to be done you'd better go do it and not come back until it's done.'"
These words of wisdom from her father made her "pull up (her) bootstraps" and "find that courage from a place…deep inside."
She also got plenty of support from other members of the cast who frequently asked how he was doing and told her they were praying for him.
Fortunately for the family, Brian Wilson pulled through – and was able to accompany his daughter to the 2022 Country Music Awards at which she was the most nominated artist. In the end, her six nominations led to two awards as Lainey walked away with the gongs for Female Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year.
And she chose a good time to join Yellowstone as season 5 saw it reach the current peak of its popularity. A record 9.41 million viewers tuned in to watch episode 1 'One Hundred Years Is Nothing' and across the 8 shows of season 5 average audiences topped 8.2 million.
Wilson also released her latest album in 2022, with Bell Bottom Country reaching number 9 on the US Country Chart.