(Left) Taylor Hill / FilmMagic / Getty Images (Top Right) John Shearer / Getty Images (Bottom Right) Christopher Polk / Variety via Getty Images
Nominees for the 2024 ACM Awards were announced on Tuesday (April 9), featuring some major snubs and surprises.
The most nominated artists were Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Megan Moroney, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, and Lainey Wilson. Wallen, Combs, Johnson, Wilson, Stapleton, Jelly Roll, and Kane Brown were the seven stars nominated for Entertainer of the Year.
RELATED: 13 MEMORABLE ACM AWARDS COLLABORATIONS FROM YEARS PAST
But some of country music’s biggest stars didn’t receive many (or any) nominations from the ACM this year. Keep reading for some of the most shocking snubs (and some happy surprises) from the nominations for the 2024 ACM Awards.
As of 2019, Miranda Lambert is the most-awarded artist in ACM Awards history. She’s also one of only a few artists to ever receive the Triple Crown Award. The award is given to acts who win New Artist, Female/Male Vocalist, and Entertainer of the Year.
Lambert’s last set of ACM wins came in 2022. She won Entertainer of the Year and Video of the Year for her “Drunk” collaboration with Elle King.
Lambert was nominated for four ACM Awards in 2023, including Entertainer of the Year. But this year, Lambert didn’t receive a single nomination, which surprised many fans.
Bailey Zimmerman had a huge year in 2023. His songs “Religiously” and “Rock and a Hard Place” both hit #1. He also dropped his debut studio album, Religiously: The Album. It reached the third spot on the Top Country Albums chart.
Despite his successful year, Zimmerman didn’t receive any nominations from the ACM.
View this post on Instagram
There’s no doubt that 2023 was Megan Moroney’s breakout year. Her song “Tennessee Orange” was certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA in November 2023. She also released her hit single “I’m Not Pretty” and collaborated with Old Dominion on the song “Can’t Break Up Now.”
Additionally, Moroney released her debut album, Lucky in May 2023. It reached the tenth spot on the Top Country Albums chart.
Moroney received one nomination from the ACM last year. So it came as a huge surprise when she earned six nominations this year, making her one of the most nominated artists.
Moroney earned nods in the following categories:
Female Artist of the Year
New Female Artist of the Year
Song of the Year x2 (as an artist and songwriter) for “Tennessee Orange”
Music Event of the Year for “Can’t Break Up Now”
Visual Media of the Year for “I’m Not Pretty”
Jason Aldean has taken home his fair share of ACM Awards over the years. He won the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award for three years in a row, from 2016-2018. Like Lambert, he’s also a Triple Crown Award recipient.
Additionally, the ACM recognized Aldean as the “Artist of the Decade” for the 2010s.
Aldean’s last ACM win came in 2022 when he and Carrie Underwood won Single of the Year for their duet “If I Didn’t Love You.” Aldean was nominated for Entertainer of the Year in 2023 but didn’t win.
Much to fans’ surprise, the ACM snubbed Aldean this year, and he didn’t receive a single nomination.
Luke Bryan won his first ACM Award in 2010. He won his first Entertainer of the Year Award in 2013 and followed up with repeat wins in 2015 and 2021.
In 2019, Bryan received the ACM’s first Album of the Decade Award for his 2013 album, Crash My Party.
Bryan received his last nominations in 2022 for his “Buy Dirt” collaboration with Jordan Davis. He received no nominations in 2023 and was completely snubbed again this year.
In a surprise move, the ACM reintroduced the New Duo or Group of the Year category this year. The award was first presented in 1967 to Bob Morris & Faye Hardin.
23 years passed before the award was presented again in 1990. The award was presented fairly consistently throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Past winners include The Kinleys, Brooks & Dunn, Lonestar, Sugarland, and Montgomery Gentry.
RELATED: REVISITING 15 FORGOTTEN COUNTRY MUSIC DUOS
The ACM took another hiatus from presenting the award after 2008. They brought it back in 2016 and presented it every year until 2019.
Now, the category is back for the 2024 ceremony! The nominees include Neon Union, Restless Road, and Tigerlily Gold.
Keith Urban has won several ACM Awards over the course of his career, including Entertainer of the Year in 2019. He’s also a Triple Crown winner, though the award has never been formally presented to him.
Despite his status as a country music superstar, Urban has not received an ACM nomination since 2021. He was snubbed in 2022, 2023, and now 2024 as well.
Still, Urban performed “Texas Time” to open the ceremony in 2023.
Ashley McBryde did receive one nomination for this year’s ACM Awards. She was nominated for Female Artist of the Year.
But we feel McBryde was still snubbed, mainly because her poignant song “Light On In the Kitchen” wasn’t nominated for Single or Song of the Year.
Her newest album, The Devil I Know, also could have been a solid contender in the Album of the Year category.
View this post on Instagram
Chris Stapleton’s wife, Morgane Stapleton, received her first nomination from the ACM this year. She earned a nod in the Album of the Year category since she served as a co-producer on Chris’ nominated album, Higher.
Chris dedicated the album to Morgan upon its release. Morgane responded, “I am moved and humbled and I love you more than you could ever know.”
There’s no denying the fact that Zach Bryan is one of the biggest stars in country music at the moment. Despite this, he was snubbed by the 2024 ACM Awards and only received two nominations.
Bryan was nominated for Artist-Songwriter of the Year. His Grammy-winning duet with Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything,” earned a nod in the Music Event of the Year category.
Many fans believe Bryan deserved additional recognition in the Male Artist of the Year and Album of the Year categories.
Carly Pearce won her first two ACM Awards in 2020 for her “I Hope You’re Happy Now” duet with Lee Brice. Since then, she has won two additional ACM Awards, including the 2022 award for Female Artist of the Year.
In 2023, she received three nominations but did not secure any wins. To the shock of her fans, she did not receive any nominations this year, marking a complete snub.
Like Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, and Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood is also a Triple Crown Award recipient. Furthermore, she has claimed the ACM’s Entertainer of the Year award three times, with her most recent win occurring in 2020.
In 2023, Underwood received another nomination for Entertainer of the Year but did not win.
In one of the greatest snubs to come out of the nominations for the 2024 ACM Awards, Underwood didn’t receive a single nomination.
What do you think was the biggest snub or surprise from the nominations?
The 2024 ACM Awards will be held on May 16. Fans can watch the ceremony on Prime Video or the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch Live.
Get this sent to your inbox, plus, get new articles & videos from us every week!
Receive daily updates with the best country music videos, news, and more!
© 2024 Country Rebel
