Day: July 2, 2026

HARDY has revealed that he is set to make a cameo in Universal Pictures’ upcoming film The Comeback King, starring Glen Powell.

While fans previously saw HARDY try his hand in acting in the 2022 music video for his and Lainey Wilson’s “wait in the truck,” this marks his first appearance in a feature film, where he’ll play himself and even has a few speaking lines.

Powell gave fans a sneak peek at the country music comedy film during this year’s CMA Fest in Nashville, making a surprise appearance at Nissan Stadium amid the nightly show. The actor walked onstage, poured a beer into a cowboy boot, chugged it in a classic “shoey” moment and tossed the boot into the crowd before revealing the moment was being filmed for The Comeback King.

During a recent conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal, HARDY was asked if he knew any details regarding what to expect from the new movie. He smirked and then confirmed he’ll appear in the film but admitted he couldn’t share much more about his role just yet.

“It’s funny and I will say this, I think this is fine. It’s the hardest acting I’ve ever had to do because of how funny it is and the lines that got fed to me and the other person in the scene in real time and they’re like, ‘okay, now say this,’” he recalled. “I felt like I was watching SuperBad, but I was like the actor. And I was laughing not because the line was funny, but because I know how funny it’s going to be when I see it, if that makes sense.”

He also hinted at the fact that he won’t be the only country artist making an appearance in the story, which follows the journey of a former world-famous country-western star (played by Glen Powell) whose career has hit rock bottom.

“There’s a lot of cameos…I don’t know if I know many people that haven’t been involved in it,” HARDY noted.

The Mississippi native also gushed over Glen Powell, calling him “the nicest, coolest, kind, humble” person and credits him to taking the time to really get acquainted with the country music community in order to property portray his character.

“I got to sit in a room and he… I don’t think this is giving too much away. He’s already been talking about it, but he’s immersed himself into the culture. It reminds me of what Post Malone did where he didn’t just come here and write with all the big people. He wanted to write with the songwriters and learn about all that. And Glen really came to town and kind, of more or less, I guess method acting and he wants to learn about the town to play the character better.”

@937jrcountry Cool to see the BTS of scenes like this 🤯 – Celine #GlenPowell #TheComebackKing #CMAFest #Nashville ♬ original sound – 93.7 JR Country

This was a completely new experience for HARDY as he told Neal that his role in the “wait in the truck” music video took him out of his comfort zone in a different way.

“I was out of my comfort zone with acting distressed or whatever you want to call it…I saw somebody post something about a scene from it the other day and like shooting the guy and putting myself in that moment and stuff like that. That’s not just normal music video stuff.”

He adds that if he were to jump in front of the camera for any future roles, he can only imagine playing himself, just like he does in The Comeback King.

“You know how people like Vince Vaughn and certain people just play themselves? I feel like that’s the only way I can do it because I’ve thought about how hard it would be for Johnny Depp to become a completely different person and how good, like Jared Leto, some of these people are just great at becoming a different person. There’s no way I could do that, I don’t think.”

He adds, “It’s weird in a very creative way, but I think it takes a very special person to become a different human being for months at a time.”

Fans will have to wait until The Comeback King hits theaters on February 5, 2027, to catch HARDY’s cameo and see which other country stars make appearances throughout the film.

The post HARDY Reveals He’ll Make Cameo in Glen Powell’s Upcoming Country Music Comedy ‘The Comeback King’ appeared first on Country Now.

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Nearly two years into fatherhood, Parker McCollum is soaking up every moment with his first son, Major, who will celebrate his second birthday in August. During a recent interview with Audacy’s Katie Neal, the country star shared a few adorable updates on the toddler as well as how the family is preparing to welcome their second baby later this summer.

McCollum says that one thing Major is really loving at the moment is being in the water. However, since he is still very young and doesn’t quite know how to navigate that setting on his own yet, he and his wife Hallie Ray decided that now is the right time to put the boy in swim lessons.

“We have a pool and every day it’s ‘dad, dad, Wawa.’ And so when I’m home, we spend a lot of time swimming. And the other day, this was like last week, there’s like a beach entrance, I guess is what you would call it, kind of not really…he’s like sitting on it and he’ll be two in August. So he’s very small and he’s sitting on it and I’m sitting on their side of the beach and I’m just watching him. Well, all of a sudden he kind of tries to scoot off of it and it’s only ankle deep. It’s for little kids. All of a sudden he’s like on his back and the step is holding his head.”

McCollum watched for a moment to see if Major would be able to safely get himself out of the possibly dangerous situation.

“I was just like, ‘What’s he going to do?’ And then all of a sudden, he tries to roll over on his face and I’m like, ‘Oh God, get him out the water.’ He was totally fine. But I’m like, yeah, I told Hallie, I was like, ‘The swim lessons are next week.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I think he needs some.’”

Aside from spending time in the pool he has also taken a liking to playing golf and baseball.

“His big thing is ball. He’s got these little golf clubs and he’s got these little baseball bats and just everything is all good and well until he sees a ball and then it’s like, you better get him the damn ball, football, or it’s going to be very different afternoon. But he just wacks the sh** out of it.”

McCollum has also noticed that Major is in a phase of watching every movement and has now started to even copy his mannerisms.

“I guess it’s from watching me in the yard, but he sets up and focuses and he looks like he’s looking down the fairway because I guess he sees me do that…has a great high finish and great rotation. He’s not even two yet. And I’m like, he’s going to be a beat me in golf in three years,” the Texas native jokes.

In another month or two, he and Hallie Ray will become parents of two when they welcome their second son so they are currently trying to enjoy as much solo time with Major as possible before entering the newborn phase again. Even though his arrival is coming very soon, McCollum admits they have not decided on a name yet, however he does know that the newborn won’t be named after him.

“We argued about it in the family group chat last night and she got the pictures…sonogram, and she sent me a closeup of one. She’s like, ‘It’s you. He looks just like you already,’ the one that’s in the belly. And I said, ‘Well, then it settled. Parker Yancey McCollum Jr.’ And she was like, ‘No, no, no. I can’t handle another one of you and the world can’t either.’ So we were arguing about it in the family group text. But once she said that, my feelings were hurt, so I stepped out of the group chat, but we do not have a name yet,” he confirmed.

It is possible that the timing of the new baby’s birth will coincide with a weekend that Parker McCollum is out on the road for his 2026 run. He says right now, all they can do is play things by ear and if he is forced to make a last minute cancelation in order to make it home for his family, he hopes fans are understanding.

“If he shows up early or whatever and you got to buzz out of the road and head back home for the birth of your child, I think that’s pretty understandable.”

As of now, he has a slew of headline dates as well as a few festival performances on the books through November.

The post Parker McCollum Opens Up About Son Major’s Latest Milestones and Preparing for Baby No. 2 appeared first on Country Now.

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