{"id":650082,"date":"2026-05-18T09:45:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T09:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/650082\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T09:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T09:45:10","slug":"acm-awards-2026-biggest-snubs-surprises-of-the-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/650082\/","title":{"rendered":"ACM Awards 2026: Biggest Snubs & Surprises of the Night"},"content":{"rendered":"

Megan Moroney, Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton and Zach Top had 27 nominations between them. They were all shut out.<\/p>\n

\t5\/17\/2026\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"LAS<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tLAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MAY 17: EDITORIAL USE ONLY. Cody Johnson accepts the award for Entertainer of the Year onstage during the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tNo one was surprised when Ella Langley<\/a>\u2019s \u201cChoosin\u2019 Texas\u201d won single of the year or song of the year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, which were presented at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday (May 17). The superbly crafted, universally relatable song is one of the biggest country crossover hits in history. It would have been a shock if it hadn\u2019t won.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd many pundits figured The Red Clay Strays<\/a>, Brooks & Dunn<\/a> and Cody Johnson<\/a> would repeat their CMA Awards win from Nov. 19 as group of the year, duo of the year and male artist of the year, respectively. Indeed, they all won here as well. The only handover in the top categories was female artist of the year. Lainey Wilson <\/a>won in that category at the 2025 CMA Awards for the fourth year in a row. Langley took the award at the ACM Awards.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat doesn\u2019t mean there weren\u2019t some snubs and surprises among the results at the ACM Awards. It wouldn\u2019t be an awards show without \u2019em.<\/p>\n

\n\tShania Twain hosted this year\u2019s awards show, which was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The show streamed live via Prime Video for the fifth consecutive year.<\/p>\n

\n\tHere are some of the biggest snubs and surprises at the 2026 ACM Awards.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.<\/p>\n

\tSurprise: Cody Johnson<\/p>\n

\n\tCody Johnson\u2019s win for male artist of the year was not a big surprise, but few figured he\u2019d also take entertainer of the year. The competition was stiff \u2013 Lainey Wilson, who won the last two years, Chris Stapleton, who won in 2023, and four artists who were vying for their first wins in the category \u2013 Luke Combs (who has been nominated seven years in a row), Morgan Wallen (who has been nominated four years in a row), Jelly Roll (three years in a row) and Megan Moroney (this was her first nomination).<\/p>\n

\n\tJohnson\u2019s only previous ACM Award came two years ago when he won for song of the year as the artist who popularized \u201cDirt Cheap,\u201d written by Josh Phillips.<\/p>\n

\n\tJohnson was nominated for new male artist of the year at both the 2020 and 2021 ceremonies but lost both times. (This dream night more than makes up for it.)<\/p>\n

\tSnub: Megan Moroney<\/p>\n

\n\tMoroney was this year\u2019s top nominee with nine nods but didn\u2019t win a single award. Moroney won new female artist of the year two years ago but hasn\u2019t won again since. Moroney wasn\u2019t present at the ceremony. As she posted on social media Sunday morning, she was out of the country, serving as the maid of honor at her best friend\u2019s wedding. (You could say she has her priorities straight. She\u2019ll be back and will probably win again in the future.)<\/p>\n

\tSnubs: Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, Zach Top<\/p>\n

\n\tWilson went 0-7 on the night. Stapleton went 0-6. Top went 0-5. That\u2019s what happens when one artist (Ella Langley) gobbles up so many awards. Stapleton is just one award shy of tying George Strait\u2019s record as the male artist with the most ACM Awards (19). If he\u2019d won just one of the six awards, he would have tied King George. That will have to wait for another year.<\/p>\n

\tSurprise: Ella Langley and Riley Green Win Again<\/p>\n

\n\tMost pundits figured the front-runners for music event of the year were \u201cA Song To Sing\u201d by Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton and \u201cTrailblazer\u201d by Reba McEntire, Lambert and Lainey Wilson. Instead, the award went to Riley Green and Ella Langley for the second year in a row for \u201cDon\u2019t Mind If I Do.\u201d They won last year for \u201cyou look like you love me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThey are the first twosome to win in this category in back-to-back years since Faith Hill and Tim McGraw won in 1998 with \u201cIt\u2019s Your Love\u201d and again in 1999 with \u201cJust To Hear You Say That You Love Me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tSurprise: Parker McCollum<\/p>\n

\n\tMcCollum received just one nomination this year, but it was a big one, album of the year. He wound up winning the award for his fifth studio album Parker McCollum. McCollum had won just two previous ACM Awards \u2013 new male artist of the year in 2022 and visual media of the year in 2024 for \u201cBurn It Down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tSnub: Morgan Wallen<\/p>\n

\n\tWallen\u2019s I\u2019m the Problem, which topped the all-genre Billboard 200 for 13 weeks, was passed over for album of the year. His previous studio album, One Thing at a Time, which spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on that chart, was also passed over. He won in 2022 with Dangerous: The Double Album, his only win in the category to date, which is a meager showing for someone\u00a0who is one of the best-selling album artists (from any genre) of this century.<\/p>\n

\n\tWallen is in good company, though. Garth Brooks, one of the best-selling album artists (from any genre) of all time, also has just one ACM Award for album of the year to his name. He won for No Fences. He was nominated, but lost, with five albums (all of which topped the Billboard 200 for five or more weeks): Ropin\u2019 the Wind, The Chase, In Pieces, Sevens and Double Live.<\/p>\n

\tSnub: Kelsea Ballerini<\/p>\n

\n\tKelsea Ballerini was nominated for female artist of the year for the ninth time, an award she has yet to win. But she\u2019s in very good company: Ballerini joins Anne Murray as the only artists to go 0-9 in that category. The widely-admired Canadian singer was nominated nine times between 1972 and 1986 without ever winning. Murray has retired, but Ballerini still has a chance to win in this category in the future.<\/p>\n

\tSnubs: Shaboozey, Gavin Adcock, Dasha<\/p>\n

\n\tThese three artists lost new artist awards for the second year in a row. Shaboozey and Adcock lost new male artist of the year to Tucker Wetmore (after losing last year to Zach Top). Dasha lost new female artist of the year to Avery Anna (after losing last year to Ella Langley). The ACM Awards allows artists two chances in these categories, which means these three artists can\u2019t compete again in these categories.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t


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