ACM Awards 2023: Snubs & Surprises

It doesn’t matter if an awards show is transmitted on a traditional broadcast network or a new-fangled streaming platform, one thing remains constant: there will always be snubs and surprises.

And so it was at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards, which were presented on Thursday (May 11) at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Tex. Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton co-hosted the show. Both are past entertainer of the year winners at this show, which likes to call itself “country music’s party of the year.” Parton took home that award in 1978. Brooks won a record six times between 1991 and 1999.

HARDY and Lainey Wilson were the top winners at the 2023 ACMs, with four awards each, followed by Cole Swindell with three awards and Ashley Gorley with two.

This marked the first time the show has come from Texas since its 50th anniversary celebration in 2015, when it was held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

​​The ACMs made history in 2022 when it partnered with Prime Video and became the first major awards ceremony to exclusively livestream. The show again partnered with Prime Video on an exclusive livestream this year. The full rebroadcast will stream for free on Friday, May 12 on Freevee.

Here are snubs and surprises from the 2023 ACM Awards.

The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions. DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.