{"id":501036,"date":"2026-02-26T15:13:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/501036\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T15:13:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:13:08","slug":"actress-leann-rimes-says-coyote-ugly-ended-americas-sweetheart-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/501036\/","title":{"rendered":"Actress LeAnn Rimes says \u2018Coyote Ugly\u2019 ended \u2018America\u2019s Sweetheart\u2019 era"},"content":{"rendered":"

LeAnn Rimes is reflecting on how she shed her \u201cAmerica\u2019s Sweetheart\u201d image and embraced her sexuality <\/a>after appearing as herself in \u201cCoyote Ugly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The singer and actress, who rose to fame at the age of 13 in 1996 with the success of her hit song \u201cBlue,\u201d was just 17 when she filmed a cameo in \u201cCoyote Ugly.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

In the finale of the 2000 musical drama, Rimes, who was clad in a low-cut, backless crop top with snakeskin leather pants, performed a duet of the film\u2019s\u00a0theme song, \u201cCan\u2019t Fight the Moonlight\u201d with lead actress Piper Perabo while dancing on the counter of the movie\u2019s titular bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During a Wednesday appearance on\u00a0\u201cGood Morning America,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0the two-time Grammy Award winner recalled that her iconic cameo marked a turning point in her career.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was kind of my introduction to sexiness and sex sells,\u201d\u00a0Rimes, now 43, said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean really, I was \u2018America\u2019s Sweetheart\u2019 until they put me on a bar, and then it was all over,\u201d she continued. \u201cSo I mean I was just like, \u2018What do I do?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

LeAnn Rimes (L) and Piper Perabo dancing and singing while standing on the bar top in a scene from the film \u201cCoyote Ugly,\u201d in 2000. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what to do now on a bar but back then that was just really good editing,\u201d Rimes joked. \u201cReally good editing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The movie follows shy aspiring songwriter Violet Sanford, who moves to New York City to pursue her dreams and ends up working at a wild bar called \u201cCoyote Ugly.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the bar, the female bartenders, known as \u201cCoyotes,\u201d pour drinks while dancing on the counter and whipping the crowd into a high-energy frenzy.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoyote Ugly\u201d became a box office hit, raking in $113 million worldwide and later achieved cult classic status.<\/p>\n

Rimes performs at The O2 Arena on May 8, 2024, in London, England. Redferns<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t Fight the Moonlight,\u201d which was written by Diane Warren and recorded by Rimes, reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n

Rimes recently recreated \u201cCoyote Ugly\u2019s\u201d famous final scene at the Coyote Ugly Saloon Nashville in a video that she\u00a0shared on Instagram<\/a>\u00a0Feb. 20.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the clip, Rimes lip-synced \u201cCan\u2019t Fight the Moonlight\u201d while dancing on the counter alongside her \u201c9-1-1 Nashville\u201d castmates\u00a0Kimberly Williams-Paisley,\u00a0Jessica Capshaw, Mackenzie Porter, Hailey Kilgore and Juani Feliz.<\/p>\n

\u201cNashville, do we serve water in this bar\u2026,\u201d Rimes wrote in the caption, referring to one of the movie\u2019s famous lines.<\/p>\n

Rimes was only 17 when she filmed a cameo in \u201cCoyote Ugly.\u201d Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody call the 113 as your girls had a little fun of their own in between filming #coyoteugly #cantfightthemoonlight #911nashville @911nashville,\u201d she added. \u201cBig thank you @coyoteuglysaloonnash for having us and to the bada\u2013 ladies for teaching us some moves!\u201d<\/p>\n

While appearing on \u201cGood Morning America,\u201d Rimes shared the story behind her viral post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoyote Ugly will forever live on. It\u2019s 26 years since we shot this movie, and I was 17 and like all the ladies, we all grew up together,\u201d she said, referring to her co-stars in the procedural drama.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rimes is seen performing during Salute to Service: The United States Army Field Band featuring LeAnn Rimes on July 3, 2024, in Philadelphia. GC Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThey all grew up with this movie, and it was my idea to take them down to the bar in Nashville,\u201d Rimes continued. \u201cI had a group text and everybody was like, \u2018Let\u2019s go. I\u2019ve been wanting to go to the bar forever.\u2019 They were so excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rimes previously opened up about the most shocking moment that she remembered from filming her cameo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe chicken cutlets that they had me put in my top. There you go,\u201d Rimes told\u00a0Entertainment Tonight<\/a>\u00a0in 2018.<\/p>\n

Rimes wins at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, on Dec. 8, 1997. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 17. My mom was very happy that was the only bar I was dancing on. That she knew of. Thanks, Mom,\u201d Rimes joked. \u201cAnd so literally they [said] you\u2019re gonna dance on a bar and they\u2019re like, \u2018Here\u2019s your outfit. Here\u2019s your\u00a0chicken cutlets.\u2019 \u2026 I mean, literally, I\u2019m like, \u2018What do I do with these? How do I put these in?\u2019 I had no idea. That\u2019s what I remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rimes also shared her thoughts on\u00a0\u201cCan\u2019t Fight the Moonlight\u201d\u00a0after including a new rendition of the song on her EP \u201cRe-Imagined,\u201d released in June 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my God. What\u2019s so crazy about the song was it became an international success. It was number one in 11 countries. I think it was,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt did nothing in the States,\u201d Rimes continued. \u201cIt came back around almost two years later and then was a top\u00a020 hit in the States.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, it\u2019s weird how the universe works,\u201d she added. \u201cWeird how things come back around. I never expected it. You just never know what\u2019s gonna hit. It really is crazy how successful this was.\u201d<\/p>\n

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