Lainey Wilson kicked off the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards with a stomping performance of her new track, “Can’t Sit Still.” (Rolling Stone report)
This also marked Wilson’s first time performing live as a married woman. The country star wed her longtime partner, former NFL quarterback, Deviln “Duck” Hodges, at a ceremony in Tennessee last Sunday.
Women dominated this year’s ACM nominations. Megan Moroney landed her first ever nomination for Entertainer of the Year and led all nominees, with nine. Miranda Lambert scored eight nods, while Ella Langley and Wilson each had seven: The closest male nominee was Chris Stapleton, with six.
In April, Wilson headlined Stagecoach on the second night. While it was her first time as headliner, the country star last performed at the festival in 2023. The singer-songwriter has since won Best Country Album at the 66th Grammy Awards for her fourth studio LP, Bell Bottom Country. The album also garnered Album of the Year at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards and the Album of the Year honor at the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards.
The ACM Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Shania Twain served as host and along with Wilson, the night’s performances included Cody Johnson, Riley Green, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, and the Red Clay Strays.
The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Corp., the parent company of Rolling Stone.
Once again, the Academy of Country Music’s awards will be seen exclusively on Prime Video, with a switch this year from the previous Texas base for the webcast to a return to the ACMs’ old home in Las Vegas. The show will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 8 p.m. ET/5 PT on May 17.
A host, nominees, presenters and other details about the show have yet to be unveiled.
The Academy also announced that Patrick Menton has been upped to the role of executive producer of the ACMs; he previously serverd as talent producer from 2018-2019, co-producer from 2020-2022, and co-executive producer in the years 2023-2025). He will partner as executive producer with longtime showrunner Raj Kapoor.
