10 Memorable Moments From CMT Music Awards

The fan-voted CMT Music Awards, slated to take place on Sunday, April 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas and to air on CBS Television Network (and also streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+), will welcome an all-star slate of performers and presenters, including Carrie Underwood, Cody Johnson, Megan Thee Stallion, Shania Twain, Gwen Stefani, and Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown.

Brown and Kelsea Ballerini will co-host this year’s show, while Lainey Wilson is the leading nominee for this year’s awards, earning four nods including video of the year, female video of the year, collaborative video of the year and CMT performance of the year. Johnson, Brown and first-time CMT Music Awards nominee Jelly Roll follow with three nominations each.

Previously known as the CMT Flameworthy Music Video Awards, the awards show changed its name to the CMT Music Awards in 2005, and differentiated itself from other awards shows through its dedication to honoring music videos in a range of categories, including “Cameo of the Year” “Hottest Video of the Year” and “Most Inspiring Video of the Year” (all now-defunct categories). Presently, the awards show honors not only music videos, but top artist performances on various CMT shows over the past year, via the CMT performance of the year category. 2022 brought another momentous shift for the awards show, when the CMT Music Awards moved from CMT to a key timeslot on CBS Television Network.

Over the years, artists including The Judds, Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Zac Brown Band, Jennifer Nettles, Dwight Yoakam and Tanya Tucker have brought some of the most powerful moments in CMT Music Awards history, through unforgettable acceptance speeches, performances, promotional videos, unique collaborations and by honoring trailblazers and iconic artists within the country music genre.

As the CMT Music Awards gear up to add to the list of memorable moments on Sunday evening, we highlight 10 memorable moments from previous CMT Music Awards celebrations: