How could anyone get tired of Chris Stapleton?
Currently, most of country music’s biggest stars are in Frisco, Texas for the 60th Annual ACM Awards. The 2025 edition of the show is hosted by the great Reba McEntire, and a couple of big awards have already been handed out. “Group of the Year” went to Old Dominion… which is pretty gross if you ask me. Then “Duo of the Year” was handed out to Brooks and Dunn.
The “Male Artist of the Year” award? That went to the one and only Chris Stapleton.
If you ask me, Chris Stapleton is the default award winner for any and every category. The man has a set of pipes like no other, and his talent seems effortless. To borrow from the great Anchorman franchise, 80% of time, Stapleton is the right choice every time.
That being said, this is the “Male Artist of the Year” award at the 2025 ACM Awards. The last time Stapleton released new music? That’d be his 2023 album Higher. Other than releasing an official recording from he and Dua Lipa’s performance at last year’s ACMs, Stapleton didn’t release anything else in 2024.
With that in mind, I was still shocked to see that social media was turning on Chris Stapleton after he was given the award. Many were saying other artists – like Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen – were more deserving to be named the “Male Artist of the Year.”
And here I was thinking that everyone loved Chris Stapleton, and that him winning would be a no harm, no foul situation. But I was wrong about that… big time:
Bored of Chris Stapleton winning awards over so many other deserving artists #ACMawards
— Lauren💚 (@LaurenSydney__) May 9, 2025
How does Chris Stapleton win the @ACMawards Male Artist of the Year when he didn’t even put out music. @lukecombs and @MorganWallen keep on getting disrespected. #ACMawards pic.twitter.com/wSrQ8ubsFr
— Will (@War__Eagle__Fan) May 9, 2025
#ACMawards — shit is rigged. No fucking way Chris Stapleton should have won that.
— Sierra Fromm (@FrommSierra) May 9, 2025
How much is Chris paying them to make him win?
— Sierra Fromm (@FrommSierra) May 9, 2025
What a joke
— El Duque (@CoachLaduc) May 9, 2025
ACM is a joke !! No way…NO WAY he just won.
We all know MW should have won.— James Parks (@Johnnybegood270) May 9, 2025
Welcome back to the Chris Stapleton Awards Show! 🙄
— Olivia Julian (@liv_on_air) May 9, 2025
@lukecombs and @MorganWallen absolutely ripped off again. Dude didn’t even put out a new album in 2024
— Will (@War__Eagle__Fan) May 9, 2025
Glad Morgan doesn’t go to this rigged ass show.
— A-Rebecca (@ARebecca2019) May 9, 2025
There is definitely a certain sense of burn-out when it comes to award shows, but… should that be Chris’ problem?
