Actresses Ashley Williams and Kimberly Williams-Paisley are among a select few sister duos in Hollywood’s history who’ve both had successful, decades-long acting careers, starring in everything from hit sitcoms to beloved Hallmark movies — including their 2021 “Sister Swap” films.
But in 2025, the famous sisters have both wound up hosting dating shows — a twist of fate that Williams gleefully told EntertainmentNOW is “the most insane thing in the entire world.”
In January, Williams’ new dating show “Small Town Setup” premiered on Hallmark+. Meanwhile, Williams-Paisley, 53, will take the reins as host of FOX’s dating show, “Farmer Wants a Wife,” on March 20. It’s a gig that Williams, 46, says she basically forced her big sister to pursue.
Ashley Williams Urged Kimberly Williams-Paisley to Try TV Hosting While She Recovered From Surgery

When Hallmark offered Williams the hosting gig on “Small Town Setup,” she had no idea how much she’d love it. During the six-episode series, she helped successful city-dwelling singles return to their small hometowns, where their families and friends set them up with potential love matches.
Williams told EntertainmentNOW in December how much she adored interacting with the families, getting to be herself on camera, and not having to memorize pages and pages of lines every day. While shooting the show in August 2024, she realized a similar hosting gig would be perfect for her sister, who was recovering from surgery for a damaged laryngeal nerve, which had left her barely able to speak for two years.
“So, I was shooting my dating show,” Williams told EntertainmentNOW, “and I called her and I said, ‘You have got to get yourself a hosting gig because it is so much easier than acting! It’s so fun, it’s straight- up restful!’ She was still recovering, so I told her, ‘You might want to consider something like this because, you know, you could take breaks, it’s not a stressful schedule.’”
Lo and behold, Williams-Paisley quickly learned FOX was interested in talking to her about its dating show, which follows four farmers as they each host a group of city-dwelling single women to their farms, hoping to find a love connection.
Williams told EntertainmentNOW, “Literally like, two days later, she called me and said, ‘Should I go meet with the people at ‘Farmer Wants a Wife?’ And I was like, ‘You must. Like, I’m forcing you!”
Ashley Williams Says She & Sister Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s Hosting Experiences Were Both Fun But Different
Once Williams-Paisley had landed the job hosting “Farmer Wants a Wife,” the sisters realized how wild it was that they had both wound up in similar positions, months apart.
Laughing, Williams told EntertainmentNOW, “I was like, ‘Are we about to be hosting dating shows at the exact same time? This is the most insane thing in the entire world!”
Though both shows are centered around matchmaking, the sisters ultimately realized their shows were run a bit differently. Williams-Paisley’s role on “Farmer Wants a Wife,” now in its third season, has a pretty defined structure, while Williams said she was encouraged to “go rogue” and lean into her comedic side as she got to know each contestant and family on “Small Town Setup.”
“Kim watched ‘Small Town Setup and she was like, ‘Oh, it’s different — it’s a little bit more loose and, you know, just a different feel,’” Williams recalled, and then laughed that while her sister was hosting a show with some serious dating drama, “I was just, like, drinking peach lemonade, looking at baby pictures, grabbing barbecue, and going for golf cart rides!”
The first season of “Small Town Setup” is available to stream on Hallmark+ and Williams is hopeful a second season may be on the horizon. The third season of “Farmer Wants a Wife” premieres March 20 on FOX at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
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