>> WHAT'S UP?
OH, FANS!
WE HAVE FANS!
FANS!
WELCOME, EVERYBODY, TO THE 55th
ANNUAL CMA AWARDS.
WE ARE BACK AT THE BRIDGESTONE
ARENA IN THE HEART OF MUSIC
CITY, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE,
Y'ALL.
HOW ABOUT MIRANDA LAMBERT, WHO
JUST REMINDED US WHY THIS IS
COUNTRY MUSIC'S BIGGEST NIGHT,
RIGHT?
WOW.
THIS IS SUCH A BIG NIGHT FOR ME,
Y'ALL, AS A KID, I GREW UP
WATCHING THE CMA AWARDS EVERY
YEAR.
AND NOW THEY SOMEHOW DONE TURNED
THIS THING OVER TO ME, I DON'T
KNOW.
2021 MARKS EXACTLY 20 YEARS AGO
THAT I PACKED UP MY PICKUP TRUCK
AND MOVED FROM GEORGIA TO
NASHVILLE TO TRY TO MAKE ALL MY
DREAMS COME TRUE.
AND FOR ME TONIGHT, IT'S NOT ALL
ABOUT THE MUSIC.
TONIGHT IS ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC
AND THE DREAMERS, HOWEVER, I
KNOW IT'S DEFINITELY NOT ALL
ABOUT THE NOMINATIONS, BECAUSE I
REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY.
IT'S FINE.
I'M NOT BITTER.
NOPE, I AM NOT.
I HAVE ONE -- I HAVE WON A
COUPLE OF CMAs.
I WON TWO ENTERTAINER OF THE
YEARS.
BUT NOT LATELY.
NOT -- NO.
AND STILL, HEY -- SOME -- SOME
EVEN SAY I'VE BEEN ROBBED OF A
COUPLE OR TWO.
MAYBE?
YOU GOING TO STAND?
I'M GETTING OVER IT, THOUGH.
WELL, KIND OF.
I GOT ONE NOMINATION THIS YE
YEAR -- JORDAN, WE HAD -- DID WE
WIN?
DAMN IT.
WE DIDN'T WIN?
WHO THE HELL WON?
GOSH, SEE, I ROBBED YOU, TOO.
ANYWAY, WHATEVER MAKES YOU
COUNTRY, YOU ARE WELCOME HERE
TONIGHT.
REST ASSURED, WE'RE FOLLOWING
ALL THE HEALTH PROTOCOLS TO KEEP
EVERYONE SAFE.
AND IT IS SO GREAT TO BE HERE
WITH ALL MY FELLOW ARTISTS,
TESTED AND TOGETHER.
OR IMMUNIZED.
WHO IS IT?
JUST PLAYING.
WE HAVE A GREAT SHOW FOR YOU.
ALL FIVE ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
NOMINEES WILL BE PERFORMING LIVE
TONIGHT, SO WELCOME MIRANDA
LAMBERT ONE MORE TIME.
SHE KICKED THE NIGHT OFF.
ALSO GIVE IT UP FOR CARRIE
UNDERWOOD.
SHE'S GOING TO DUET WITH JASON
ALDEAN.
AND JASON IS SITTING AT FREDDIE
FREEMAN'S TABLE OVER THERE, THE
WORLD SERIES CHAMPION.
FREDDIE -- GO BRAVES!
FREDDIE, JASON USED TO LOOK AT
ME THAT WAY.
WE HAVE ERIC CHURCH, WE HAVE
LUKE COMBS, WE HAVE CHRIS
STAPLETON ALL TAKING THE STAGE
AND THAT'S NOT ALL, THAT'S NOT
ALL.
HOW ABOUT A LITTLE
R-E-S-P-E-C-T?
WHERE'S JENNIFER HUDSON AT?
SHE'S HERE TONIGHT TO SING A
CLASSIC COUNTRY SONG RECORDED BY
THE QUEEN OF SOUL, MISS ARETHA
FRANKLIN, YEAH.
WE HAVE KANE BROWN, THOMAS RHETT
AND LOOK AT -- Y'ALL LOOK AT
KEITH URBAN'S TABLE TONIGHT -- I
MEAN, HE IS SURROUNDED BY
JENNIFER HUDSON, CARRIE
UNDERWOOD, NICOLE KIDMAN, CHRIS
STRAPLE ON THE, I MEAN, KEITH,
YOUR TABLE GAME IS STRONG, BRO.
I MEAN -- DID YOU GET THAT ON
STUB HUB?
STANDING HERE ON THIS STAGE, I
AM SO THANKFUL FOR ALL OF THOSE
GREAT ARTISTS WHOSE MUSIC MADE
ME COUNTRY AND DROVE ME TO
FOLLOW MY DREAMS.
>> YOU ARE WELCOME, LUKE.
YOU ARE WELCOME.
LIONEL
LIONEL, KATY, WHAT ARE Y'ALL
DOING HERE?
I MEAN --
>> I THOUGHT WE DID EVERYTHING
TOGETHER.
>> YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE BECAUSE
WE HEARD YOU NEEDED A LITTLE
HELP, BECAUSE HOSTING -- YOU ARE
HOSTING THE BIGGEST COUNTRY
EVENT EVER.
>> THANKS, YOU TWO, BUT --
Y'ALL, THIS IS NOT MY FIRST
RODEO, I HAVE HOSTED OTHER AWARD
SHOWS.
>> YEAH, AND WE'VE SEEN THOSE.
>> AH -- THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.
>> BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU.
>> I LOVE Y'ALL.
THANKS, I GUESS.
I CAN HANDLE THIS MYSELF.
BUT SINCE YOU'VE COME ALL THE
WAY, DON'T Y'ALL WANT TO PRESENT
THE FIRST AWARD OF THE NIGHT
RIGHT NOW?
>> IT WOULD BE OUR PLEASURE.