Luke Bryan Co-Hosts the 2023 CMA Awards — Who Won the Big Categories?
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On Wednesday night, American Idol judge Luke Bryan co-hosted the 2023 CMA Awards with Peyton Manning. A number of country stars walked away with trophies during the Nashville ceremony, as Lainey Wilson won Album of the Year.
Luke Bryan Co-Hosts 2023 CMA Awards
This was the second year in a row that Bryan and Manning have co-hosted the CMA Awards. Ahead of the ceremony, Bryan shared that the co-hosts’ jokes about attendees would be “a little more tame” than they were last year, adding, “You don’t have to worry about any Oscars slaps or things like that.”
“Luke and I both have thick skin and the more that the joke can be on us, we are for it,” Manning said. “I think both of us believe in self-deprecating humor and don’t take ourselves too seriously. This is supposed to be a celebration and [we’re] not here to make anybody mad.”
That doesn’t mean their opening monologue was totally serious. Bryan joked that Jelly Roll has inspired his mother to get a face tattoo, which prompted Manning to show a doctored photo of his brother Eli with face ink of his own.
During Wednesday’s show, Bryan also took the stage to sing a medley of his biggest hits, including “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day,” “One Margarita,” and “That’s My Kind of Night.” Other performances included a duet between Jelly Roll and Wynonna Judd, as well as Lainey Wilson singing “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.”
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Who Were the Winners in the Big Categories?
During Wednesday night’s ceremony, Lainey Wilson won Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, and Album of the Year for Bell Bottom Country. Male Vocalist of the Year went to Chris Stapleton, while Single of the Year and Song of the Year went to Luke Combs for his cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.”
Old Dominion won Vocal Group of the Year, while Brothers Osborne were named Vocal Duo of the Year. New Artist of the Year went to Jelly Roll. Hardy and Lainey Wilson took home the award for Music Video of the Year for their song “Wait in the Truck.”
Did you watch the CMA Awards on Wednesday night? Did your favorite artists take home awards? What do you think about Bryan and Manning as hosts? Let us know in the comments below.
