Ella Langley dominates the ACM Awards and Cody Johnson wins entertainer
of the year
[May 18, 2026]
By MARIA SHERMAN
Cody Johnson won entertainer of the year, but it was Ella Langley's
night from the start. The first honor of the Academy of Country Music
Awards Sunday was for the coveted song of the year, given to Langley for
the crossover hit “Choosin’ Texas,” presented to her by Michael Bublé.
“I’m not at a loss for words very often,” said Langley in her speech.
“Thank you to the fans. I don’t know why you latched on to this song but
thank you for doing it.”
Less than an hour later she was back on stage, winning single of the
year for the same smash.
She also joined Riley Green shortly thereafter, as their duet “Don’t
Mind if I Do” took home music event of the year.
And then she received her fourth on-stage trophy of the night for female
artist of the year. “I’m trying to get to say something but I can’t,”
she said while her voice cracked. “I would not be standing up here
without the encouragement of so many women.”
But it was Johnson who took home the top prize of entertainer of the
year. “They say that music is the sound of emotion," Johnson said in his
speech. “I get to convey that through this thing that God gave me called
music.” That was shortly after he was awarded the title of male artist
of the year. Then he dedicated his entertainer of the year award to Luke
Combs.
It was a night that promised appearances from the greatest names in
contemporary country music and delivered on it. The show started with
Lainey Wilson — who took home the top prize of entertainer of the year
for the last two years — opening with “Can't Sit Still," her latest
single, an anthemic stopper about ambition.
It was an exciting way to kick off the 61st annual awards ceremony at
the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. That's a noted departure from
the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, just north of Dallas,
where the ACM Awards were held the last three years.
Performances followed fast and fierce from there: Miranda Lambert, the
most-decorated artist in ACM Awards history, performed “Crisco.” Then
Thomas Rhett and Jordan Davis teamed up for “Ain't A Bad Life.”
Avery Anna performed her new song “Bang Bang,” a country-rock
reimagination of the Nancy Sinatra classic “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me
Down).” Green tackled “Change My Mind” and Zach Top nailed his hit
“Honky Tonk Till It Hurts.”
Little Big Town did “Hey There Sunshine”; The Red Clay Strays nailed
“Demons in Your Choir.”
Host Shania Twain walked out to her 1997 single “Man! I Feel Like a
Woman!," congratulating Lainey on her wedding that took place last
Sunday.
"What a time this is for country music!" Twain said in her intro speech,
which quickly became reflective: She talked about winning her first ACM
Award 30 years ago; she said she had her first top 10 hit at age 30.
“Make it loud for all our sheroes,” she cheered, directing her attention
to the women of country. It made sense: This is Twain’s first time
hosting. She’s taken over for Reba McEntire, who has hosted the show 18
times.
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Ronnie Dunn, left, and Kix Brooks of "Brooks & Dunn" accept the
award for duo of the year during the 61st annual Academy of Country
Music Awards on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena
in Las Vegas. Corey LaJoie and Carl Edwards look on from right.(AP
Photo/Chris Pizzello)
 Group of the year was awarded to The
Red Clay Strays; duo of the year went to none other than Brooks &
Dunn.
“I don’t know why y’all aren’t getting sick of us,” Kix Brooks
joked, “But we love y’all.”
The ACM festivities actually began ahead of Sunday's event. Before
the show, a few trophies were handed out. Langley was named
artist-songwriter of the year. Jessie Jo Dillon was named songwriter
of the year, becoming the first artist to win three times in a row.
Stephen Wilson Jr. was awarded visual media of the year for
“Cuckoo.” Anna and Tucker Wetmore were presented with new female and
new male artist of the year, respectively.
Back on stage, Wetmore tackled “Brunette”; Parker McCollum and Lee
Ann Womack dueted “Killin’ Me” from McCollum’s 2025 self-titled
album.
Kacey Musgraves brought her cheeky wit to the ACM Awards stage with
“Dry Spell," performing atop a washing machine and in a grocery
store; Langley performed “Be Her" acoustically.
Carter Faith’s “If I Had Never Lost My Mind” was a standout vocal
performance. She was followed by Johnson’s emotive “Travelin’
Soldier” and Kane Brown’s “Woman.”
Album of the year was a hyper-competitive category, but ultimately,
it went to McCollum for his self-titled release. He beat Morgan
Wallen’s blockbuster “I’m the Problem,” Top’s “Ain’t In It for My
Health,” Green’s “Don’t Mind If I Do” and first-time nominee Faith’s
“Cherry Valley.” That’s no small feat.
Then two more final performances: Dan + Shay doing “Say So,”
dedicated to Ben Vaughn, the late Warner Chappell president and CEO.
It was followed by Blake Shelton’s powerful cover of “The Gambler,”
most famously performed by Kenny Rogers and written by the late
great Don Schlitz, the storied country music songwriter who died
last month.
The song, which was recorded by Rogers in 1978 and certified five
times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America,
opened doors for country music in the ’70s, a track that was not
only a huge genre hit but also a pop crossover one.
The 2026 ACM Awards streamed on Prime Video and the Amazon Music
channel on Twitch, as well as the Amazon Music app.
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