Seems to be the common sentiment.
The Country Music Association issued a statement this afternoon addressing the controversy surrounding artists being denied red carpet access ahead of next week’s CMA Awards. And it’s safe to say a lot of people aren’t impressed.
The outrage started last week when ’90s country legend Sammy Kershaw took to social media to reveal that the CMA had denied his request to walk the red carpet with his wife.
In his statement, Kershaw expressed his disappointment with their decision:
“I love country music, but never in a million years would I think that a successful country music entertainer (and I’m not the only one) would not be able to walk the red carpet. It’s extremely hurtful, embarrassing and very disappointing. I guess the next time I attend the CMA’s, it will be in tribute after I’m gone, if I’m lucky.”
Well as Sammy alluded to, he’s not the only artist who was turned away by the CMA Awards this year, because on Saturday hitmaker Rodney Atkins revealed that he too had been denied the opportunity to attend, while also delivering a stark warning for the decision makers who are turning away country music legends:
“After more than 20 years as a CMA member and countless CMA Fests I’ve played for free, Rose and I were denied red-carpet clearance, just like Sammy Kershaw. So we’ve decided not to attend this year’s CMA Awards.
I also believe the artists who helped build the foundation of country music, like Sammy Kershaw, deserve a place in its celebrations.
Country music should never get above its raisin’.”
Good advice.
Obviously the snubs have caused a lot of outrage among country music fans, who are accusing the CMAs of forgetting where they came from and those who have made country music successful along the way. And there have been plenty of artists who have spoken out about the snubs so far, with many (including us) expressing frustration that the awards show welcomes influencers and celebrities from outside country music while turning away country music legends.
Well after four days, the CMA issued a statement this afternoon, basically saying, “Sorry your feelings were hurt” while blaming some unspecified “criteria” for determining who gets to walk the red carpet:
“In recent days, several artists and their fans have spoken out about this year’s CMA Awards red carpet guidelines. Like any major televised event, the red carpet has criteria that exists to help manage limited space and the security needs for both the artists and the media. We are deeply sorry anyone felt excluded by those decisions.
Our organization’s mission is to honor the history and celebrate the excellence of Country Music. With this 60th anniversary year, we are working extra hard to simultaneously spotlight the last six decades, while also celebrating what has been a tremendous year in 2026. It’s not easy to do all of that in just one night, but we are up for the challenge.
We also know this is about more than a red carpet, and we are committed to keep listening and keep finding ways to make sure all artists feel welcome and at home here. To that point, we are in touch with Sammy Kershaw’s team and look forward to continuing that conversation.”
Based on the comments on social media so far, the statement hasn’t really gone over well with country music fans – including country star Jake Owen.
The “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” singer took to Instagram stories to give his thought on their statement, and give them some advice on how they probably should have responded:
“This is a lot of words saying nothing… “our mission is to preserve the history and celebrate the excellence of country music.”
How about, sorry Sammy.. we messed up,..our words don’t match our actions.
Instead, you waited 4 days to craft this?!?”
Yeah, seems like they could have come up with something better than that.
