Maren Morris Reveals Why She Skipped 2024 CMT Awards

Maren Morris was nominated for performance of the year with Hozier for their 2023 duet on his song “Take Me to Church” from CMT Crossroads at Sunday night’s (April 7) 2024 CMT Awards. But in a pair of Instagram Story videos posted earlier in the day the 33-year-old “The Bones” singer told fans she would not be attending the show hosted by Kelsea Ballerini for a very good reason.

“Book tour week officially commences. Karina [Argow] and I are flying to New York tonight, so we’ll see you Wednesday at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square,” the singer said in the video about the upcoming three-city tour in support of the new children’s book, Addie Ant Goes on an Adventure, which she co-wrote with longtime best friend teacher Argow.

In a video cued to her 2023 single “The Tree,” Morris reposted a message from Lily Aldridge, in which the former Victoria’s Secret model flipped through the pages of the colorful book about an adorable ant who goes on a journey in a magical garden and wrote, “so sweet can’t wait to go on an adventure with Addie Ant.”

The cross-country book tour will include a virtual live book signing and Q&A with Premiere Marketing at 3 p.m. ET on Monday, followed by Wednesday’s event at B&N Union Square in New York — which also happens to be Morris’ 34th birthday — a Thursday signing in Los Angeles at B&N at the Grove and one on Saturday at Parnassus Books in Nashville.

The 40-page book, which hits shelves on Tuesday (April 9), is published by Chronicle Chroma and illustrated by Kelly Anne Dalton.

Another reason Morris may have stayed home for the CMT’s is that in September she announced that she was leaving country music because of her feeling that the genre was unwilling to confront its history of racism and misogyny and open the doors to more women and people of color. “Honoring where I’ve been and what I’ve achieved in country music, but also freely moving forward,” she said in a statement at the time.

The singer is also gearing up to hit the road this summer for the 11-date RSVP Redux tour, whose name is a call-back to Morris’ 2020 RSVP tour, as well as a celebration of the fifth anniversary of her Girl album.