The 2026 ACM Awards LIVE Blog (+Winners)

Get ready ladies and gentlemen for the most explosive three hours in country music. You have stumbled on Saving Country Music’s notorious LIVE blog that will transpire in real time as the presentation unfolds, leaving entirely inappropriate comments, knee-jerk reactions, incisive commentary, and giving credit where credit is due.

So get your refresh fingers ready, and don’t be offended by the occasional typo or swear word. This is all off-the-cuff.

The awards are streaming via Amazon Prime (no subscription required).

To see the list of 2026 nominees, CLICK HERE. All times Central time.

8:53 – …and then Kane Brown comes out with his big bag of nothing, complete with backup dancers.

8:51 – Give Cody Johnson and the ACMs for reading the room, and knowing the best song to perform in the moment, not the most opportune one.

8:49 – Wow, Cody Johnson comes out and doesn’t sing his current single or one of his sons nominated for an award. He sings “Travelin’ Soldier” —the song The [Dixie] Chicks were having a hit with when they got cancelled. Bruce Robison’s gotta love that mailbox money.

8:47 – Ella Langley gets emotional acknowledging she is the biggest woman in country music. But in truth, she’s the biggest artist in all of music at the moment. But this isn’t a culmination, this is just the beginning for Ella.

“Thank you to the women,” Ella says in conclusion.

8:46 – WINNER – The 2026 ACM for Female Vocalist of the Year is Ella Langley.

8:44 – TJ Osborne refers to “my gay ass” while presenting Female Artist of the Year. Give him credit for not taking himself too seriously, and acknowledging why they ACMs wanted him up there presenting an award by himself as opposed with his brother—checking off a box. But that ain’t his fault.

8:42 – Carter Faith has been the best SINGER tonight so far. Stellar, tasteful performance.

8:40 – Someone explain to me how Carter Faith gets nominated for Album of the Year, but can’t get nominated for the pittley New Female Vocalist?

Even still, so many women killing it right now all across country music, and doing it in so many different and unique ways.

8:35 – We’ll see if Ella performs again. But coming out and doing “Choosin’ Texas” would have felt so predictable, and potentially, flat.

8:34 – Really interesting and smart decision by Ella Langley to perform intimate and acoustic. “Be Her” is a very mild song, but stripping it back focuses on the lyric and emotion of the song, and brings to the surface that she’s an “artist,” not just an “entertainer.” She’s already the most popular thing in the music. Now it’s time to make that momentum sustainable.

This might be the performance of the night.

8:30 – Hate to say this, but there is at least a slight chance Kacey is lip syncing here. Something is off about this performance.

8:29 – Interestingly, this is the first time Kacey Musgraves has ever performed on the ACM Awards. There was a mini controversy during after she released “Golden Hour,” and it seems the ACM only wanted to give her an abbreviated spot and she said “No thanks” before taking home Album of the Year.

8:27 – Shania Twain is your unmarried aunt who’s making a mess of Thanksgiving after drinking on Xanax at this point.

8:26 – Cody Johnson makes him hard to root against. The win means he’s probably a strong contender for Entertainer of the Year.

8:24 – WINNER – The 2026 ACM Male Artist of the Year is Cody Johnson.

8:23 – Why isn’t Ashley McBryde hosting this damn thing? You know she wrote this monologue introducing Male Artist.

8:19 – I’d rather be attending Megan Moroney’s best friend’s wedding than this too. And I hate weddings.

8:17 – Wouldn’t be surprised if Lee Ann Womanck is on stage right now because Parker McCollum insisted on it. She’s the only country legend scheduled to perform tonight.

8:15 – Once again, the sound is off for this Parker McCollum performance. Lead guitar way too loud in the right speaker, and everything else super muted .. and then they forget to cut on Lee Ann Womack’s mic as she walks out.

8:13 – It’s setting up to be Ella Langley’s night. She’s already got four awards. Has to be a front runner for Female Vocalist now.

8:12 – Ella and Riley should just make out right now. Would keep them at the top of the charts indefinitely.

8:11 – WINNER – The 2026 ACM for Musical Event of the Year goes to “Don’t Mind If I Do” – Riley Green feat. Ella Langley.

8:09 – Why is Tucker Wetmore performing, and The War & Treaty are “presenting.” Let them light into something while they’re on stage.

8:08 – “Tucker Wetmore” sounds like something you do when you lick a digit and stick it somewhere wrong. Ex: “Charlie just got sent to HR for giving Martha a Tucker Wetmore in the break room.”

8:06 – Tucker Wetmore’s mom is still procreating? Damn, were screwed. That’s what I got out of the last two minutes. Dead air would have been more compelling.

8:05 – Did Shania Twain just say something about “chewing” on children? What the hell is going on?

8:03 – Holding this thing on a Sunday night and broadcasting it on Amazon Prime is a disaster. NO social media chatter going on for this. Very little interest. Folks are out enjoying good weather and could give a damn.

8:00 – Red Clay Strays heartfelt evocation of Gospel roots > Jelly Roll’s charlatan performative pandering to the religious demographic.

7:58 – Pay attention boys and girls. Watch Brandon Coleman and The Red Clay Strays. This is how you “emote.” Jelly Roll, eat your heart out.

7:57 – Red Clay Strays! Now THIS is a group worthy of a nationally televised broadcast.

7:54 – Little Big Town should act like the Strait of Hormuz and close for business.

What is the point of this songs? I feel like I’m living in a bad Hallmark card.

7:53 – Not sure Little Big Town is useful for anything more than soundtracking AARP commercials at this point.

Early portion of this performance was incredibly pitchy.

7:52 – “Thank y’all for loving a country song,” Miranda Lambert says.

This win was even more obvious than Song of the Year.

7:51 – WINNER – The 2026 ACM for Single of the Year goes to “Choosin’ Texas” by Ella Langley.

7:48 – Willie Nelson turned 93 three weeks ago assholes.

7:45 – Going back to the Red Clay Strays win for Group of the Year, it took a retro throwback Jesus freak rock group from Mobile to depose Old Dominion who’ve dominated this category for nearly a decade.

7:43 – “I don’t know why y’all aren’t getting sick of us!” Kix Brooks says.

7:42 – WINNER – The 2026 ACM Duo of the Year goes to Brooks & Dunn.

7:41 – Get these NASCAR cross-promotional jack offs off the stage. What is this?

7:40 – Dear America, the person on your screen at the moment is Zach Top. He is an actual country music artist, unlike so many others who claim to be. There’s more like him. Do yourself a favor, seek them out.

Cool to see him take his own solo too.

7:35 – Riley Green’s been a part of some pretty good songs. But this one just underscores how his catalog is incredibly thin, and sex appeal is a big pile driver of his success.

7:33 – “We’re just some rednecks from Alabama.”

7:30 – WINNER – The 2026 ACM Group of the Year is The Red Clay Strays.

7:28 – When I saw Anna Avery last month at a festival, he set was a total mess. Bolstered by backing tracks, covering Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Ozzy Osborne. She has no idea who she is as an artist. Total miss making her New Female Artist. It should have been Kaitlin Butts, or someone else.

7:26 – Dude, so Anna Avery is going to get up there and straight up rip off the Kaitlin Butts bit from “Roadrunner?”

7:25 – For those who might be wondering, Miranda Lambert was up there on stage with Ella Langley because she co-wrote and co-produced the song. Song of the Year is a songwriter awards, officially.

7:24 – Ella Langley and “Choosin’ Texas” winning Song of the Year was a pretty obvious pick, and one that’s hard to argue with. It’s not just defining country music at the moment, it’s defining all popular music. It very likely wins Single of the Year as well.

7:22 – Ella Langley: “I don’t know why you latched on to this song, but thank you for doing it. Thank you for making it do things that couldn’t imagine.”

7:20 – WINNER – The 2026 ACM For Song of the Year goes to “Choosin’ Texas” by Ella Langley.

7:19 – Glad they mentioned Don Schlitz. Let’s see if they have the stones to mention David Allan Coe at some point, or do an actual In Memoriam segment.

7:18 – Oh great, so now Michael Bubble is now making a damn country record?

7:16 – Yes, let’s chase Miranda Lambert disco lark with the spare, radio-propped up Thomas Rhett.

This presentation is going about as good as The War in Iran.

7:14 – The best part of the Miranda performance was seeing shots of Zach Top and Issac Gibson of 49 Winchester in the audience. Get their asses up on the stage.

7:12 – Jeez, this Miranda Lambert disco era is off to a terrible start, and is a terrible way to start the ACM Awards. It’s like they’re both committed to it, and are simply going through the motions. Anybody below 40 has already checked out.

7:10 – Isn’t the opening monologue supposed to be … funny? This recitation of the ACM Awards Wikipedia page isn’t exactly compelling.

7:08 – You were supposed to wait until AFTER the show to get drunk, Shania. Slur much? She shouldn’t be operating a motor vehicle, let alone driving this train wreck. If she could say her ABC’s backwards right now, I’ll eat my hat.

7:06 – At this point, Shania Twain is nothing more than the personification of an AI agent in chiffon.

7:04 – Yep, having seizures. Just shoved my wallet in my mouth so I don’t swallow my tongue.

7:03 – Dude, the backing track to this Lainey Wilson performance is totally washed out compared to Lainey’s vocals. At least they’re live, I guess.

7:02 – To start of the 2026 Academy of Country Awards, here’s Lainey Wilson performing a rock song.

7:01 – “This presentation has flashing lights that may cause seizures.”

Not to mention Dan + Shay and Kane Brown. Viewer discretion is advised.

7:00 – Here we go!

6:51 – Megan Moroney is up for the most awards tonight with nine nominations, and might be the evening’s biggest winner. But if she is, she won’t be in Las Vegas to enjoy it. Instead, she is serving as the maid of honor in her best friend’s wedding.

6:47 – Don’t expect to see many country legends this year aside from Lee Ann Womack, who was announced last minute as a performer. But no tribute, no lifetime achievement recipient has been announced, at least not so far. Shania Twain is hosting, but she’s not as much a “legend” as a retread.

6:45 – Multiple awards have already been given out.

The TEMU version of a TEMU version of Morgan Wallen, Tucker Wetmore, has won the New Male Artist of the Year. Somehow he was the worst pick in a field that also included Gavin Adcock.

Avery Anna won the New Female Artist of the Year. She was , playing to backing tracks and singing covers ranging from Taylor Swift to Ozzy Osborne. Strange with the year Kaitlin Butts has had, and how Carter Faith was nominated for Album of the Year, but neither were even considered in the field.

Visual Media of the Year went to Stephen Wilson Jr.‘s frenetic and redneck exploitative video for “Cuckoo”

Songwriter of the Year is Jessie Jo Dillon.

The most pointless ACM Award—Artist-Songwriter of the Year goes to Ella Langley—as opposed to a true artist/songwriter in the vein of the Lucinda Williams and John Prines of yore, who had strong performing careers, but wrote hits for mainstream stars.