Christopher Polk\/Dick Clark Productions via Getty Images<\/span><\/p> Before he ever dropped a mainstream single, Johnson was a legit Texas headliner. It’s rare to see him cancel a show. He\u00a0typically shows up to awards shows and media events on time.\u00a0His\u00a0live show displays the kind of\u00a0tight, practiced professionalism that can’t be faked, only learned through years of hard work.<\/p>\n Did he deserve to win Entertainer over Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson or all the other talented nominees? That’s subjective.<\/p>\n But one thing’s for sure: Johnson deserves for the conversation\u00a0over his win to be about him \u2014 not about the category nominees who didn’t show up.<\/p>\n We’d avoid the problem if all nominees always showed up to awards shows, but is it really reasonable to expect\u00a0that?<\/p>\n If EOTY nominee Megan Moroney had attended, it would have meant missing her best friend’s wedding<\/a>. Luke Combs had just played back-to-back stadium shows in Wisconsin the two days before the ACMs \u2014\u00a0you can’t blame him for choosing to spend the night at home with his family.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/em>: Do Country Stars Owe It to Us to Attend Awards Shows?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Sometimes artists skip awards shows for reasons that aren’t quite as clear-cut, but that doesn’t make them any less valid.<\/p>\n Some\u00a0stay home for mental health reasons, and it’s worth celebrating the fact that public figures have become more comfortable advocating for their mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n Others, including\u00a0Jason Aldean<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Kane Brown<\/a>, have alluded to sitting out shows where they were habitually snubbed. That’s more complex that just a simple grudge.<\/p>\n Remember that most country stars grew up idolizing these shows, and when they’re habitually left off nominees lists despite releasing deserving music, it can feel like a big rejection spiral.<\/p>\n That leaves the awards shows themselves: Could the ACMs have changed their format to draw more nominees to the show? Or \u2014 perhaps more crucially \u2014 could they regain the trust of fans who dismiss the voting process as pure industry politics?<\/p>\n As ratings for awards shows across the board continue to fall, the Academy of Country Music should be making a big, bold move.<\/p>\n They should also be listening to the fans, many of whom have been frustrated for years that top-tier country artists who always miss the nominees list at mainstream country awards shows.<\/p>\n That includes entertainers like Tyler Childers<\/a>, Charley Crockett<\/a>, Margo Price<\/a> and Zach Bryan<\/a>, all of whom either released landmark albums in 2025 or are drawing in enough concertgoers to warrant Entertainer of the Year consideration.<\/p>\n We understand the ACM’s hesitation to open up top categories to artists who’ve built their careers without much mainstream industry help. It would be a major break with tradition.<\/p>\n The bulk of the alt-country greats have never had a No.1 country radio hit, and in all of ACMs history, there’s only ever been one EOTY recipient who never topped the country charts.<\/p>\n But on a smaller scale, the ACMs are already testing out the theory of nominating left-of-center artists, and it’s working.<\/p>\n Stephen Wilson, Jr. won Visual Media of the Year in 2026, and the Red Clay Strays won Group of the Year. Carter Faith \u2014 whose\u00a0Cherry Valley<\/em> was an Album of the Year nominee \u2014 gave one of the best performances of the night.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/em>: The ACMs Are Alt-Country Curious, So Why Won’t They Nominate Its Biggest Stars?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n No one’s suggesting that the ACMs get rid of its mainstream nominees. After all, Ella Langley<\/a>\u00a0won all seven of the awards she was up for \u2014 and frankly, if she’d been a nominee for Entertainer of the Year, Cody Johnson might have been in trouble.<\/p>\n But the awards show should be paying less attention to chart stats and more attention to the country artists the fans\u00a0love best.<\/p>\n Country music has always started and ended with the artists’ connections to their fans. If the fans are excited about and prioritize the ACM Awards, the nominated artists will, too.<\/p>\n Lainey Wilson opened the 2026 ACM Awards and Blake Shelton will close it. Here are the best show pics from the Amazon Prime broadcast from Las Vegas on Sunday night (May 17).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhose Job Is It to Fix the ACM Awards’ Entertainer of the Year Problem?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The ACMs Should Be Rethinking the Whole Awards Show Game<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2026 ACM Awards Show Pics: The Best Performances and Speeches!<\/h2>\n