Morgan Wallen won a big one at the CMA Awards, but he wasn’t there
Morgan Wallen performing in September.
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — Morgan Wallen wasn’t the biggest winner at Wednesday night’s 58th Annual CMA Awards, but he won a significant prize.
The country superstar, who has had some troubles since his career took off, led with the most nominations going into the show and he named entertainer of the year. Wallen, however, wasn’t present at the event to accept the honor.
It’s unclear why he was absent. Wallen’s One Night at a Time tour concluded in October. CNN has reached out to the singer’s representative for comment.
Chris Stapleton was the most prolific winner of the night, snagging four awards, including male vocalist of the year.
Wallen has had some highs and lows in recent years.
His 2020 planned appearance as the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” was postponed after he broke the show’s Covid-19 protocols.
Wallen said at the time that he had not tested positive for Covid-19, but added that “my actions this past weekend were pretty shortsighted.”
“They have obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams,” he said. “I respect the show’s decision because I know that I put them in jeopardy and I take ownership for this. I’d like to apologize to ‘SNL,’ to my fans, to my team for bringing me these opportunities and I let them down.”
He apologized in March 2021 after a video surfaced in which he used a racial slur and profanities. He was deemed ineligible for individual CMA awards that year as a result. In April of this year, Wallen was arrested in Nashville after allegedly throwing a chair off a downtown rooftop.
The CMA Awards were held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, aired live on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu.
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