Morgan Wallen entered the 58th Annual CMA Awards as the top nominee, boasting seven nominations. While he only claimed one victory, it was undoubtedly the most coveted honor: Entertainer of the Year. Or so we can assume, especially since Wallen was the lone big nominee absent from the ceremony.
The night also saw Chris Stapleton taking home three trophies, while co-host Lainey Wilson, who won Entertainer of the Year in 2023, added two more to her collection.
Other winners included Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney, Old Dominion, and perhaps the night’s biggest surprise—Brooks & Dunn, who bagged Duo of the Year for the 15th time, a win they hadn’t seen in 18 years.
With their victories, both Stapleton and Brooks & Dunn now share the record for the most CMA wins ever, with 19 each.
Meanwhile, some of the evening’s top contenders—Post Malone, Jelly Roll, and Shaboozey—went home empty-handed.
Wallen, too, looked like he might be shut out, but his name was finally called for the top honor of the night. He narrowly avoided the embarrassment—or perhaps the oddity—of having his name mispronounced by presenter Jeff Bridges as “Morgan Waylon,” which would have made him the first Waylon to win Entertainer of the Year (a nod to the legendary Waylon Jennings, who never took home the prize).
Despite leading with seven nominations this year, many thought Wallen’s absence from the CMAs might indicate an ongoing snub, given his past near-misses. He’d been nominated for Entertainer of the Year in previous years but had only secured one CMA win—Best New Artist. Yet commercially, Wallen has been a powerhouse, dominating the country music scene for years, with record-breaking tours that often influence Entertainer of the Year outcomes.
Stapleton triumphed in the Single and Song of the Year categories for “White Horse,” as well as in Male Vocalist of the Year—an honor he’s claimed eight times. While accepting the single of the year award, Stapleton acknowledged the strong competition, which included hits like Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and the Post Malone-Wallen collab “I Had Some Help,” both of which went home without a win despite multiple nominations.
Album of the Year went to Cody Johnson for “Leather,” in what could be called an upset. Johnson, while widely respected in the country music community, hadn’t expected to win, even telling his wife before the ceremony, “Jelly Roll’s got that one.”
Megan Moroney claimed New Artist of the Year after a vibrant performance of “Am I Okay?” from her sophomore album. Grateful and overwhelmed, she expressed her thanks, saying, “Thank you, Jesus, for putting this on my heart,” before exclaiming, “I’m freaking out!”
Lainey Wilson picked up Female Vocalist of the Year for the third consecutive year and also won Music Video of the Year for “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.” In her speech, she honored the diverse contributions of all kinds of workers, adding, “Whether you drive a tractor, make coffee, or make people smile, you should share that gift.”
Old Dominion continued their dominance in the Vocal Group of the Year category, winning for the seventh straight time, surpassing Little Big Town’s six-year streak. Lead singer Matthew Ramsey declared, “We just made history,” thanking everyone who had helped them get there.
Brooks & Dunn’s win for Vocal Duo of the Year, their first in 18 years, came as a delightful surprise. “What a weird business,” said Ronnie Dunn, while Kix Brooks added, “Time is undefeated. I say: not yet. Wow!” Their latest album, “Reboot II,” features collaborations with rising stars like Jelly Roll.
Post Malone, who’s made waves in Nashville with his country debut album F-1 Trillion, opened the show with a performance of “California Sober” alongside Chris Stapleton. Other memorable moments included Thomas Rhett and Teddy Swims joining forces, Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan singing “Cowboys Cry Too,” and Ella Langley and Riley Green performing “You Look Like You Love Me.” Kacey Musgraves, the only solo performer of the night, delivered a powerful acoustic rendition of “The Architect.”
Despite his leading seven nominations—including four for his collaboration on Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help”—Wallen and his fellow nominees like Malone and Shaboozey had to walk away without any trophies.
For those eager to catch up on the full experience, the ceremony will be available for streaming starting Thursday on Hulu.
Here’s the full list of 2024 CMA categories, with the winners highlighted:
Entertainer of the Year
- Luke Combs
- Jelly Roll
- Chris Stapleton
- Winner: Morgan Wallen
- Lainey Wilson
Single of the Year (Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s), and Mix Engineer(s))
- “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Shaboozey (Producers: Sean Cook, Nevin Sastry; Mix Engineer: Raul Lopez)
- “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson (Producer: Trent Willmon; Mix Engineer: Jack Clarke)
- “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen) (Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins; Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore)
- “Watermelon Moonshine” – Lainey Wilson (Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce)
- Winner: “White Horse” – Chris Stapleton (Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton; Mix Engineer: Vance Powell)
Album of the Year (Award goes to Artist, Producer(s), and Mix Engineer(s))
- “Deeper Well” – Kacey Musgraves (Producers: Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Tashian; Mix Engineers: Shawn Everett, Konrad Snyder)
- “Fathers & Sons” – Luke Combs (Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton; Mix Engineer: Chip Matthews)
- “Higher” – Chris Stapleton (Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton; Mix Engineer: Vance Powell)
- Winner: “Leather” – Cody Johnson (Producer: Trent Willmon; Mix Engineer: Jack Clarke)
- “Whitsitt Chapel” – Jelly Roll (Producers: Andrew Baylis, Brock Berryhill, Zach Crowell, Jesse Frasure, David Garcia, Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft, Austin Nivarel, David Ray Stevens; Mix Engineers: Jeff Braun, Jim Cooley)
Song of the Year (Award goes to Songwriter(s))
- “Burn It Down” – Hillary Lindsey, Parker McCollum, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose
- “Dirt Cheap” – Josh Phillips
- “I Had Some Help” – Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen, Chandler Paul Walters
- “The Painter” – Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins
- Winner: “White Horse” – Chris Stapleton, Dan Wilson
New Artist of the Year
- Winner: Megan Moroney
- Shaboozey
- Nate Smith
- Mitchell Tenpenny
- Zach Top
- Bailey Zimmerman
Female Vocalist of the Year
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Ashley McBryde
- Megan Moroney
- Kacey Musgraves
- Winner: Lainey Wilson
Male Vocalist of the Year
- Luke Combs
- Jelly Roll
- Cody Johnson
- Winner: Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
Vocal Group of the Year
- Lady A
- Little Big Town
- Winner: Old Dominion
- The Red Clay Strays
- Zac Brown Band
Vocal Duo of the Year
- Winner: Brooks & Dunn
- Brothers Osborne
- Dan + Shay
- Maddie & Tae
- The War and Treaty
Musical Event of the Year (Award goes to Artists and Producer(s))
- “Cowboys Cry Too” – Kelsea Ballerini (with Noah Kahan) (Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Alysa Vanderheym)
- “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen) (Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins)
- “I Remember Everything” – Zach Bryan (ft. Kacey Musgraves) (Producer: Zach Bryan)
- “Man Made a Bar” – Morgan Wallen (feat. Eric Church) (Producer: Joey Moi)
- Winner: “You Look Like You Love Me” – Ella Langley (feat. Riley Green) (Producer: Will Bundy)
Musician of the Year
- Tom Bukovac – Guitar
- Jenee Fleenor – Fiddle
- Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
- Rob McNelley – Guitar
- Winner: Charlie Worsham – Guitar
Music Video of the Year (Award goes to Artist(s) and Director(s))
- “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson (Director: Dustin Haney)
- “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen) (Director: Chris Villa)
- “I’m Not Pretty” – Megan Moroney (Directors: Jeff Johnson, Megan Moroney)
- “The Painter” – Benjy Davis (Director: Evan Kates)
- Winner: “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” – Lainey Wilson (Directors: Justin Clough)