Jordan Davis and Lauren Daigle Bring Louisiana Charm to Their First-Ever ‘CMA Country Christmas’ Hosting Gig

Jordan Davis and Lauren Daigle are teaming up to host the 16^th annual CMA Country Christmas for the first time, and they are already proving to be a perfect pair to guide the night’s holiday spirit.

Filmed in front of a live Nashville audience, these co-hosts will invite viewers in for a warm, lively, holiday celebration that features a slew of epic performances by many of their fellow country stars. Since its debut in 2010, the annual show has become a seasonal favorite, drawing fans and country stars like Davis himself to watch it on ABC each year.

As a longtime fan of the special, the “Ain’t Enough Road” singer expressed his excitement about stepping into his important role alongside the songstress, joking that it even carries a bit of family pride as Daigle is such a beloved voice in his household.

“To me, CMA Country Christmas is the thing that kicks off the kind of start of Christmas, and then I’ve told Lauren this before, my children are obsessed with Lauren Daigle, so I’m going to get to be the cool dad and get to introduce her to Lauren tonight. So it’s a win-win,” he shared.

Daigle responded, “I love making cool dads.”

The two say the partnership came naturally. Especially with them both being Louisiana natives, they admitted to feeling bonded by their roots. Davis shared that working together has been seamless from day one.

“I thought it’s been super easy, both from Louisiana, obviously, Lauren’s crazy talented at everything, so she’s made it very easy. It’s been super easy.”

She echoed the sentiment, noting that their shared background has allowed them to come together to create a festive, heartfelt tone on stage.

“I think it is the Louisiana thing,” she added. “We just have that together and it’s fun to be able to bring that to the CMA stage, CMA Christmas stage. I think we’re going to have a good time.”

It’s safe to say that this event will mark the perfect kickoff to the Christmas season. Looking ahead, the co-hosts also shared some of their favorite holiday traditions and moments they’re most excited to enjoy once their hosting duties and performances wrap for the year.

“My favorite part about the Christmas season, I love coming together. I love the joy that you often feel just having everybody in the room and I love fires, we talked about that earlier,” said Daigle. “I’m like a sucker. You cannot have Christmas without a solid fire, whether it’s outside or inside, it just needs to be happening.”

Jordan Davis added, “All of our family comes in Nashville now…It’s killer and Nashville does a great job at Christmas, but then also too, the kiddos are kind of getting really into Christmas, so it’s been fun to watch them get ready for Santa every year. In Nashville, they play ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ at the Belcourt Theater, and so we pack the entire, I think last year we had like 15 of us in there. Kids are running all over the place. We’re probably driving everybody else in the theater crazy. But that is my favorite. That’s my thing to do every Christmas.”

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Joining Davis and Daigle for the evening is a star-studded lineup of solo performances and must-see collaborations by acts including Riley Green, Lady A, Little Big Town, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and BeBe Winans.

CMA Country Christmas airs tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 9/8c on ABC, with streaming available the following day on Hulu and Disney+.

A production of the Country Music Association, the special is executive produced by Robert Deaton, directed by Milton Sneed, and written by Jon Macks. ABC is also home to the CMA Awards and the CMA’s summer concert special, CMA Fest.