Essential Guide To The 60th CMA Awards: How To Watch & Major Moments To Anticipate
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The countdown to the 60th CMA Awards is on!
This year’s CMA Awards ceremony will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 18th. Reigning Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson will host the event for the third year, her second time solo.
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Ella Langley leads the nominees with nine nods, followed by Miranda Lambert with seven.
If you’re one of the millions of people who are looking forward to “Country Music’s Biggest Night,” then keep reading for all of the information you need to know in advance. Consider this your essential guide to the 60th CMA Awards!
How Can Fans Watch The 60th CMA Awards?
As mentioned above, this year’s CMA Awards will air on Wednesday, November 18th. The show will air live at 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT on ABC and Disney+.
Fans in the Mountain or Pacific time zones will not be able to watch the show live. The pre-recorded broadcast will air on ABC in those areas at 7 PM MT and 8 PM PT.
If you miss the show that evening, no worries. The ceremony will be available to stream on Hulu the following day (November 19th).
What’s The Controversy Surrounding The 60th CMA Awards?
You may have heard about some controversy surrounding the CMA Awards. It all started when country singer Sammy Kershaw shared that his request to walk the red carpet ahead of this year’s ceremony had been denied.
Kershaw, who’s known for ’90s hits such as “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful” and “Queen of My Double Wide Trailer,” said:
“I love country music, but never in a million years would I think that a successful country music entertainer (and I’m not the only one) would not be able to walk the red carpet. It’s extremely hurtful, embarrassing and very disappointing.”
Kershaw’s manager provided a statement to Country Rebel about the situation, saying:
“Sammy was denied red carpet access because they received an overwhelming number of artist requests for the red carpet and awards show. He didn’t meet their updated criteria, BUT he could purchase tickets for the CMA Awards.”
The statement continued, “However, they couldn’t guarantee that he and his wife would be seated with the other artists if he purchased the tickets, which are roughly $800+ apiece. As of right now, Sammy is now not planning to attend.”
This news angered Kershaw’s fans, who’ve been demanding an apology from the CMA. Others have been threatening to boycott the ceremony if Kershaw isn’t invited.
Several of Kershaw’s fellow artists spoke up in his defense, such as Riley Green and Carly Pearce. Rodney Atkins chimed in to share that he, too, had been denied the opportunity to walk the red carpet this year.
Artists Performing At The 60th CMA Awards & Moments To Look Out For
As of this writing, we only know the names of a few of the artists who’ll be performing during the CMA Awards. But it’s an exciting lineup, featuring Ella Langley, Tim McGraw, Kacey Musgraves, Tucker Wetmore, Miranda Lambert, the Red Clay Strays, Cody Johnson, and Zach Top.
McGraw’s time onstage will be one of many can’t-miss moments that night. It’ll be his first CMA Awards performance in nine years, and he’ll be celebrating his recent induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Another moment fans are anticipating is a tribute to the late Dolly Parton. The CMA has kept the details of this tribute vague and has not revealed which artists will participate.
This tribute will occur just one month after the CMA hosted a two-hour TV special that was entirely dedicated to Parton.
Fans who tune in to the 60th CMA Awards will also want to look out for the winners! Several artists have the potential to make history if they win in certain categories, while others could achieve huge career “firsts.”
CMA CEO Sara Trahern told Billboard that this year’s ceremony will make several nods to the ’90s, which fans are sure to love. “We’ll reach back some to the early days of the CMAs, but really, the hot artists today, their heroes are the stars of the ’90s,” Trahern said.
The CMA will celebrate two of those ’90s “heroes,” Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn (aka Brooks & Dunn), as the recipients of this year’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. Although a tribute performance has not been announced as of press time, it seems safe to assume that someone will sing in their honor.
Who Is Nominated For CMA Entertainer Of The Year In 2026?
All eyes will be glued to the screen when it comes time to present the Entertainer of the Year award. As the biggest trophy the CMA bestows, this presentation is always saved for the end of the ceremony.
This year’s nominees are Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Ella Langley, and Cody Johnson. Who do you think will win?
Make sure you keep up with Country Rebel on the night of the CMA Awards. We’ll be covering every standout performance and updating the winners list throughout the evening!
Catch a trailer for the ceremony in the video below.
