Name: Ella Langley's record-breaking night at the ACM Awards wowed everyone
Uploaded: 2026-05-18 17:00:06 -0400
Description: The ACM Awards showcased noteworthy highlights, including Ella Langley's record seven wins, emotional tributes, and a significant absence that shifted the spotlight in country music.

The recent ACM Awards had plenty of notable moments, particularly the absence of Megan Moron, who was overseas serving as a bridesmaid for her best friend's wedding. Despite her absence, Ella Langley shone bright, winning all seven awards for which she was nominated, setting a record for the most wins in a single year by an artist. Langley's emotional performance of "Be Her" was touching, though it followed Casey Musgraves' more glamorous act, which may have overshadowed her moment.

Other highlights included high-energy performances from Laney Wilson and the talented Miranda Lambert, who took home the award for Song of the Year for co-writing "Choose in Texas." Lambert's husband, Brandon, supported her from the audience, although they did not make a red-carpet appearance together. A nod to her evolving career came from her attendance at a No Doubt concert in Las Vegas the night before—an intriguing moment considering her history with Gwen Stefani, who is now married to her ex-husband.

Ashley McBride also made a memorable impact with a heartfelt presentation in honor of her late collaborator Randall Clay, who passed away in 2018. McBride's tribute felt particularly special, as it echoed the connections and collaborations within the country music community. She reflected on her experiences working with Clay, showcasing the tight-knit relationships that define much of this genre.

Despite some strong performances, the show itself seemed to lack the usual production quality that fans have come to expect from award ceremonies. Notably, the event had an odd distribution on streaming platforms, making it less accessible for viewers. The absence of many leading artists, including Megan Moron, was felt strongly, as her presence could have contributed to the night's camaraderie among women in the industry.

Cody Johnson celebrated his long-awaited win as Entertainer of the Year. After thanking his family through a FaceTime call, he prepared for a bear hunt in Alaska, marking a personal and professional milestone. This year’s ACM Awards chased a mix of emotions, highlighting the triumphs and challenges faced by artists within the country music scene.

Watch this video on Tasteof Country Music's YouTube channel.

Transcript

Note: This is an auto-generated transcript from YouTube. Please be aware that there may be spelling or transcription errors.

This is Megan [ __ ] performing at the ACM Awards, but not this ACM Awards. It's Meg from last year. And I'm starting there because this is the number one thing you didn't see if you only watched the show. The Entertainer of the Year nominee and the artist with more nominations than anyone was a no-show. And she had a reason. On Instagram, she revealed she was playing bridesmaid for her best friend's wedding and she wasn't even in the country. More on that a bit later because Mag was missing in some very other important ways as well. Ella Langley was not. I would not be standing up here without um just the encouragement of so many women. Kelsey, thank you so much for loving all of you. [cheering] How big of a night did the Choosing Texas singer just have? She was nominated for seven awards and won every single one of them, setting a record for the most wins in a single year by a single artist. Thank you to my parents for believing in me and my family for showing up and being weird as always. So, it keeps me humble. Along the way, she was totally part of the cool kids table. Literally, that's her with Miranda, Laney Wilson, Duck, and songwriter Joy Beth Taylor. Here she is with other female artist nominees, Sans Megan, who wasn't there. I love this candid of her with Chris Stapleton. We also got a really awkward moment with Riley Green. Man, I called Ella uh in Nashville, Tennessee at the studio and she showed up in her pajamas and sang, "What you hear on the track?" And I knew Yeah, I had on jeans and a t-shirt. Thank you very much. She might sleep in those. I don't know. It's all good. I've wanted this my whole entire life. My whole entire life. I've watched these award shows the whole time and I've watched a lot of these people that love me and support me up here from back home in my living room on the TV and standing up on stage and looking out at those women that have continuously had my back. Mhm. Made me emotional. I thought the only miss for Ella was her performance. And it wasn't really her fault. She performed a stripped down version of Be Her that was so much more emotional than what we've come to know and love on the radio. The problem was it came right after Casey Musgrave's performance of Dry Spell, which maybe this was the best performance of the night, maybe it wasn't, but it was certainly the biggest production and the nature of the song was um attentiongrabbing. I just felt bad that Ella got tucked in there afterwards. She deserved some separation. Women kind of dominated the night. Laney Wilson didn't win any awards, but I thought her performance of Can't Sit Still was tremendous and a little spicier than we're used to seeing from her. She actually wore that leather outfit for a while afterwards. But pre-show, she caused a stir in this dress. Can you see why? Yeah, I do believe this is the very first time Laney has ever walked a red carpet in something other than bell bottoms. Duck was with her and they were fresh off their honeymoon in Sedona. Of course, they got married on May 10th. And she says all of her best friends were there, including Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, and Jelly Roll. Speaking of Miranda, she won an ACM for song of the year as she co-wrote Choose in Texas. And her husband Brandon was on site even though they didn't walk the red carpet together. What you didn't see on TV was what Miranda did the night before. She went to the sphere in Las Vegas to see No Doubt. As in the band fronted by Gwen Stefani. As in the band fronted by her ex-husband Blake Shelton's wife, Gwen Stefani. If Miranda is in her forgiveness era, I am all for it. We had her ending a years'sl long feud with Casey Musgraves earlier this year. What's next? A duet with Nickelback's Chad Kroger? An Ashton Kutcher collaboration? In all seriousness, I love how she's handling this new chapter of her career. Mainstream radio success hasn't been there, but she's still creating great music and empowering the next generation in meaningful ways. Count Ashley McBride amongst that next generation, although I suppose they've been friends and collaborators for more than a decade. Ashley had one of the coolest awards presentations I've ever seen. Give yourself a big gold star on the refrigerator if you recognized where it came from. In a world full of towns that are all tied to dreams, there's one where our dreams are tied to six strings and simple three chord melodies in three quarter time. And the gates are wide open for those who would pass without having to prove their head ain't up their ass. I'll admit I thought it was just Ashley being creative because she's totally capable of that kind of thing. But it turns out she was borrowing from a song called Emptying Ashtays by Randall Clay. The gates are wide open for those who would pass without having to prove their head ain't up their ass. And it's enough [music] to make a fella wish the world and girl didn't rhyme. The story goes deeper. Randall Clay died in 2018. And while he wasn't super wellknown to mainstream fans, he was to artists like Ashley McBride, who called him a collaborator and friend. Actually, talking to Taste of Country Nights, she called him quote the finest songwriter I've ever written with. He helped with three songs from her legendary album, Girl Going Nowhere. And in 2023, she released a song called Sixth of October that was started by Randall. Ashley finished it. It's sort of a tribute. And there's a link below if you want more on that story. It's pretty special and we feel pretty lucky that she shared it all with us. A few more rapid fire. Yes, that was Pat McAfee sitting next to Riley Green and Blake Shelton. Pregnancy announcement came in the way of Old Dominion's Brad Ters, revealing that his wife Roxanne was pregnant. Lauren Elena had several people on her mind as she broke down introducing Dan and Sha's performance of Say So. I told Shay when I first heard it. This song is going to save lives. That song was written about the death of Warner Chapel Music's Ben Vaughn, who died by suicide at just age 49 in 2025. Lauren was close to him, but she may have also had her father on her mind. He died in 2024 after a relapse in his sobriety battle. I really thought that was a sneaky highlight of this show, which by and large kind of came and went. The performances were great, but this year's ACM were missing some of the production value of other country music awards shows. I also think better writers could have helped steer Shaniah Twain towards more on topic, relatable exchanges. I'll never understand why the show stopped to wish Willie Nelson a happy birthday 18 days after his actual birthday. And it's possible you missed the ACM awards altogether because it wasn't even on Amazon Prime's homepage. You had to flip through an NBA playoff promo to get there. And once there, you found a lineup that was expected. I missed that tribute to a country icon like these shows do so often for stars like Alan Jackson or Vince Gil. The closest we got was a poorly promoted Leanne Wac performance with Parker McCollum. People would have tuned in for that had they known it was coming. Megan Moron's absence also hurt. She's a bright star in country music and she needed to be there. Her fans deserve it. Country music deserve it. And I think viewers needed to see her supporting women in country music. It's kind of starting to feel like there's a circle that includes Miranda, Laney, and Ella. and I would not be standing up here without um just the encouragement of so many women. Kelsey, thank you so much for loving all of you. [cheering] She mentioned three of her four fellow nominees in that acceptance speech, but not Megan. And that's odd to me. I mean, it's likely an oversight and not intentional, but it's also a sign that Ella just doesn't know Megan all that well. Sure, it would have been an awful night for me had she been there, as she didn't win in any of the categories she was nominated for, but you can win without taking home awards. Cody Johnson did that for years. And last night, he finally won his entertainer of the year. After FaceTiming his wife and kids, Cody will have some time to let it all sink in. On Monday morning, he took a flight to Anchorage, Alaska, where he's going on a bear hunt. I'm Billy Dukes with Taste of Country. Thanks for watching and thanks for subscribing.