Carrie Underwood Leads List of ACM Awards Nomination Snubs

Carrie Underwood is in good company. Sure, a reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year has been shut out of a gender-specific artist category before, but you have to go back a long time to find that instance, and even then there were extenuating circumstances.

While Underwood, the 2020 ACM Entertainer of the Year, has one nomination for the 2021 ACM Awards, it's not in one of the primary categories. Her fans noticed:

The last time Underwood didn't get a nod, Gretchen Wilson took home the hardware — it has never happened during the superstar's 15-year career. An argument could be made that Underwood was between studio albums (country studio albums, at least), and she only had a single Top 20 hit with "Drinking Alone."

But we won't make that argument — Underwood was snubbed like few have been snubbed before. Maybe she shouldn't get bonus points for her legacy, but that would go against 55 previous years of country music awards shows. She's one of the biggest stars on the planet, and with a Christmas album, a book, documentary and a win at the 2020 show, she deserved to be nominated.

She's not alone, either. Here are eight more snubs and surprises among the 2021 ACM Awards nominations. They include artists like Dan + Shay and Chris Stapleton, plus songs and albums.