The 58th annual Country Music Association Awards took place in Nashville Nov. 20, and if you made it through another boring show you’re sure to have noticed these eye-rolling moments.
Morgan Wallen’s total absence from the show was one of the most bizarre moments, but Jeff Bridges managed to make it worse by mispronouncing Wallen’s name. The star was called upon to take home the most coveted award of the night, Entertainer of the Year, but did not attend the show. Kimberly Schlapman seriously could have grabbed a different dress off the hanger, and Chris Stapleton definitely forgot to thank his wife before awkwardly declaring his own failure.
Omg he did NOT just mispronounce Morgan’s name 🤦🏼♀️
— Alexandra Kay (@_alexandrakay) November 21, 2024
Let’s start with Wallen’s absence. Jeff Bridges stumbled through the realization that he wasn’t in the building, and nobody had any explanation as to why the famous singer skipped the ceremony. Wallen wrapped his One Night at a Time tour in October and presumably had time in his agenda, but he was missing in action. Wallen was the most-nominated artist heading int the show, with nominations for Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Music Video of the Year and Musical Event of the Year. There are a few clues there that he’d be called upon to grace the stage with an acceptance speech.
Bridges suffered an epic fail when he shouted out by saying “Morgan’s not here, man!” and managed to savagely mispronounce Wallen’s last name.
Then he attempted to accept the award on his behalf, but the actual award wasn’t on stage and there was that awkward moment to deal with.
Country Music’s newest guy, @PostMalone is slowing things down on the #CMAawards stage! 👏 🎶 pic.twitter.com/LFCm4oSqwv
— Nashville Tennessee (@visitmusiccity) November 21, 2024
Post Malone did show up, and his first performance was great, but his second one raised some eyebrows. The rapper has been warmly embraced in the country music scene, and rocked “California Sober” with Chris Stapleton to open the show. He returned to perform “Yours,” which was a weak song choice considering his other options. His tone and pitch were off and the performance lacked energy and conviction.
The Bailey Zimmerman spectacle took bad performances to another level with “New to Country.” He confused fans by packing in way too many things that seemed disconnected, including being lowered onto the stage from the ceiling, stopping in the middle of his songs to engage in some beer pong, and giving a shout-out to professional wrestling. He was covered in confetti – way too much confetti, and we’d like to forget this strange circus of a performance ever happened.
Oops! @ChrisStapleton Forgot to Thank Wife Morgane After First 2024 #CMAAwards Win — But He Made Up for It #CMAAwards2024 https://t.co/oFT3bMne7G
— Paul Bacon (@PaulBacon30) November 21, 2024
Chris Stapleton might be in the dog house today, after completely forgetting to thank his wife while accepting his first award of the evening – Best Single of the Year for “White Horse.” We didn’t forget that his wife Morgane Stapleton was the producer of the hit, but he sure did. This mistake would have been smoother had he not announced his blunder when he returned to the stage for his second win. “I owe my wife an apology,” Stapleton said during his Song of the Year acceptance speech.
He continued to say, “that last award also belonged to her.” Then came the over-explaining, as he went on to say, “just happened so fast,” and noting “I really owe a lot to her, so I thank her for her support.”
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 20: EDITORIAL USE ONLY Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town attends The 58th Annual CMA Awards at Music City Center on November 20, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Davis/WireImage) Getty Images
Some of the failures of the night were non-verbal, including some confusion about the night’s attire. Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town wore a dress with excessive monochrome and a giant bow, and the whole outfit stood out for all the wrong reasons. She looked like a schoolgirl trying to fit in at a party, and it was hard to look at.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 20: EDITORIAL USE ONLY Megan Moroney attends the 2024 CMA Awards at Music City Center on November 20, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage) Getty Images
Megan Moroney’s blue mermaid dress also gave off desperate vibes, and seemed like a juvenile outfit choice. The skin-tight dress seemed impossible to walk in or sit in, and the bottom puffed out way too much and seemed far-too-intentional.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 20: EDITORIAL USE ONLY Keith Urban attends the 2024 CMA Awards at Music City Center on November 20, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage) Getty Images
Wrapping up the odd outfits was Keith Urban, who seemed to forget that he was attending an award show. We love Urban, but this is the look we’d expect to see through the lens of the paparazzi on the street – this wasn’t a red carpet outfit at all. The big boots and casual outdoor jacket gave the impression he stopped by the show on his way home. (RELATED: Post Malone Appears To Reveal Coachella 2025 Info)
It eventually ended and we can put another award show behind us – until we’re hit with the next one.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
