Kelsea Ballerini Steps Back as CMTs Host, Kane Brown Steps In

A last-minute positive COVID-19 test is shaking things up at the CMT Music Awards, just hours before the show takes place on Monday night (Apr. 11.)

Extra reports that show co-host Kelsea Ballerini is stepping back in her role after testing positive for COVID-19. Ballerini was originally scheduled to share hosting duties with actor Anthony Mackie. She was also planning to perform at the show, and she is nominated in multiple categories.

Ballerini will continue to have a virtual presence during Monday night's show, where she'll be hosting from home over video chat, sources confirmed to Extra. Her positive test came at the 11th hour, and producers scrambled to reconfigure the run of show to allow for Ballerini's remote hosting duties.

But Mackie won't be left alone as the only in-person host at the 2022 CMT Awards: Kane Brown, who co-hosted the CMTs with Ballerini in 2021, will step in as a last-minute co-host. Brown's the most-nominated artist at tonight's ceremony, with mentions in four categories, including Male Video of the Year and the coveted Video of the Year award.

The 2022 CMT Music Awards will take place tonight at 8 PM EST on CBS. It's the first time the show has aired on a major television network. It will broadcast live from Nashville, Tenn, and the show will also be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Voting is now open at vote.cmt.com.

See the Most Played Country Song from the Year You Were Born

Who had the most played country song during the year you were born? This list is a fascinating time capsule of prevalent trends from every decade in American history. Scroll through to find your birth year and then click to listen. Some of these songs have been lost through the years, many of them for good reason!

Men named Hank dominated early before stars like Freddie Hart, Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson Clint Black took over to close the 1980s. More recently it's been Tim Mcgraw, Rodney Atkins, Kane Brown and Morgan Wallen. Did the most-played country song from the year you were born become a favorite of yours later? All info comes from Billboard's country airplay charts.