Cody Johnson Shares Health Update After Ear Injury: “It Is What It Is”
on Nov 20, 2025
Cody Johnson appeared at Wednesday’s 59th CMA Awards, five weeks after he canceled his remaining 2025 tour dates and underwent an urgent surgery.
In early October, Cody Johnson announced that he was forced to cancel tour stops for the remainder of 2025. The decision was made after the “Til You Can’t” singer ruptured an eardrum while “battling a severe upper respiratory and sinus infection.”
The rupture was so severe that Cody underwent immediate surgery to repair it and required a lengthy time to recover.
But the surgery didn’t keep him from attending the CMA Awards where was nominated for four awards, including two of the night’s biggest honors: Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year.
Cody Johnson attended the CMA Awards solo.
Cody Johnson’s wife, Brandi, usually accompanies him to industry events. But this year, Brandi is home with their children, having welcomed the couple’s first son, Jaycee, just a few weeks ago.
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During a red carpet interview ahead of the live show, CoJo shared an update on his health and his excitement over the arrival of his first son. When asked by interviewer Elaina Dore Smith about his injury and recovery, he admitted that it’s been tough.
“It sucks because it’s a patience game and I have no patience,” he said. “I’m still getting to the point where, at the end of the day, my ear feels pretty fatigued. But I’ve been singing. I’ve been at home listening to music … I’m only like five weeks into what they’re calling an eight-week healing period. So I’m halfway, if that. I’ve just got to slow down and enjoy the time at home. It is what it is.”
CoJo elaborated on the extent of his injury while talking to ABC Radio host Stephen Hubbard. He told Hubbard that he is optimistic that his hearing will return to normal, but is aware that there’s a chance it won’t.
“It’s one of those things, like, an eardrum, it’s not like anything else. You have to sit and be patient and wait for it to heal,” he said. “I mean, this may be the way it is for the rest of my life, and I’ll have to figure out how to play shows anyway. Talking to people that have had it happen, they’re like, it comes back. It just takes awhile.”
