Some of the biggest names weren’t even at the show. The 61st Annual ACM Awards took place last night in Las Vegas, with Ella Langley having a massive night and taking home seven trophies total – a record for one artist in the history of the show. The night’s top prize, though, went to Cody Johnson, who took home his first ACM for Entertainer of the Year (in addition to winning Male Vocalist of the Year). CoJo beat out a stacked field of nominees including Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Megan Moroney, Lainey Wilson and Chris Stapleton for the award. But of the seven nominees, only three were actually in attendance at the show. Moroney announced beforehand that she wouldn’t make it because she was serving as Maid of Honor at her best friend’s wedding. And Morgan Wallen skipping out was no surprise, given the fact that he usually doesn’t attend awards shows (and has even thrown shade at them in the past). Clearly he doesn’t really care about them too much. Luke Combs and Jelly Roll were also absent from the evening, although no reason was given by either artist for not being there. Luke is currently on his My Kinda Saturday Night stadium tour and played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday night, while Jelly Roll performed at Boots in the Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Friday night. Maybe they just wanted to get back to their families, which is completely understandable, but also raises a bigger question: Do artists really care about awards shows anymore? Over the past few years it’s clear that fans don’t pay as much attention to awards shows as they used to. Gone are the days when fans relied on awards shows to tell them who to listen to: Morgan Wallen, one of the biggest artists in the world, has consistently outstreamed…well, everybody else in country music, despite getting virtually no recognition at awards shows. Artists like Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, Turnpike Troubadours and Cross Canadian Ragweed are selling out massive venues, and they’ve never even gotten a mention on any awards show. Being seen on the red carpet of an awards show seems like it’s lost a little bit of its prestige, when it’s not necessarily an indicator of success or lack thereof. And artists clearly don’t feel the need to be in attendance, even when they’re nominated for some of the biggest awards of the night. The ratings would also seem to reflect the declining influence and popularity of awards shows: The CMA Awards, which are broadcast on ABC, hit an all-time low last year, which was down from 2024’s previous all-time low, which was down from 2023’s previous all-time low…you get the picture. And while the ratings for the ACM Awards aren’t released due to streaming on Amazon Prime, the fact that they were moved from network television to streaming surely doesn’t speak well for the number of eyeballs tuning into the yearly event. Now, credit where it’s due: This year’s show wasn’t terrible. There were some great performances from artists like Ella Langley, Zach Top and Red Clay Strays, and it was great to see artists like Parker McCollum and Cody Johnson take home some big awards. It’s also great that the show is finally recognizing artists from outside the mainstream, with 49 Winchester, Flatland Cavalry and Muscadine Bloodline finally getting some well-deserved nominations. But the point remains: Some of the biggest artists in the genre decided not to attend the awards show. And when the artists are the main draw for fans to tune in, that seems like a bad sign for the importance of these shows.The post Four Out Of Seven Entertainer Of The Year Nominees Weren’t At The ACM Awards – Is That A Bad Sign For Awards Shows? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.