Back and better than ever. Kimberly Williams-Paisley has returned to the spotlight after taking time off to focus on her health following a series of tragic setbacks. She recently has stepped up as host of the third season of “Farmer Wants A Wife,” taking over for Jennifer Nettles. The popular dating show on Fox follows a group of single farmers in their quest to find love among big city women like Kimberly, a New York native. The actor, who is married to country music star Brad Paisley, resonated deeply with the show’s concept. “I enjoyed being myself in this show, which was a new experience for me with my first unscripted series,” she said in a statement, according to Deadline. “Because I’m a city girl who embraced the country life when I married my husband twenty-one years ago, I related to the allure of a farmer for these ladies.”
Whoever picked out the godawful dress for Kimberly Williams-Paisley on “Farmer Wants a Wife,” should be fired. The weird bunchy unflattering lump at her abdomen? WHY????? Every middle aged woman cringing in horror. pic.twitter.com/IOyAlgSdg9
— K J Gillenwater (@kjgillenwater) March 24, 2025
In December 2024, Fox unveiled the promotional poster for Season 3 of the dating series ahead of its March 2025 premiere. The image shows Kimberly leaning over a fence while sporting a blue midi dress by Victoria Beckham. Her outfit featured a round neck with short tulip sleeves and ruched detailing across the front. Unfortunately, not everyone was a fan of the number, with one critic sounding off on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Whoever picked out the godawful dress for Kimberly Williams-Paisley on ‘Farmer Wants a Wife,’ should be fired. The weird bunchy unflattering lump at her abdomen? WHY?????” asked the irked X user. We’d argue that she looked amazing in the dress, especially that stunning shade of blue, but to each their own.
Paisley’s hosting debut received mixed reactions
Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s debut on Season 3 of “Farmer Wants a Wife” was met with positive reactions for the most part. After Fox announced that she’d be taking over the reins from Jennifer Nettles in 2024, fans of the hit show took to social media to share their opinions. “Oh this will be so fun!” gushed author Danielle Walker. Another exclaimed, “Am excited to see! I love matchmaking. And you are a perfect host!” However, not all were thrilled by the casting choice, with one critic saying, “Yeah no, I can’t stand her nor Brad [Paisley]. Biggest democrats in country music.” Another expressed their dismay on X, formerly Twitter: “Oh, not a huge fan.”
Regardless, Kimberly seemed to take it all in stride. As part of the promotion for “Farmer Wants A Wife,” she appeared on “Today” in March 2025 to talk about the dating show. For that interview, she wore a pale pink suit with a swirl pattern and snake-print pumps. She briefly touched on her voice loss before explaining what it was like to be a city girl adjusting to country life. “Yeah, I was not expecting to live on a farm. I was not expecting to ride horses, things like that,” she said. “The first time I went to visit Brad when we were dating, we went to George Jones’ house, which he had to explain who George Jones was. We went out riding in the woods and I actually fell off of the horse and broke a rib.” She added, “So it took some getting used to, that farm life thing.”
