The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards 2026 winners were announced on Sunday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It was hosted by Shania Twain, the ‘Queen of Country Pop.’ The event was streamed live on Prime Video.
At the end of the show, there was one name on everyone’s lips, and it was Ella Langley. The Alabama singer-songwriter bagged seven awards that night. However, Cody Johnson won the Entertainer of the Year award.
Deadline reports that the lineup of the performers—Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Cody Johnson, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, and Blake Shelton—was electrifying.
Key Points
- Ella Langley won seven awards at the ACM Awards 2026
- Cody Johnson earned his first Entertainer of the Year win
- “Choosing Texas” won both Song and Single of the Year
- Brooks & Dunn extended their ACM record with another Duo of the Year win
- The Red Clay Strays won Group of the Year for the first time
- Shania Twain hosted this year’s ceremony in Las Vegas
Ella Langley kept hearing her name called all night. By the middle of the broadcast, it became pretty obvious that the night belongs to Ella Langley.
Every time presenters opened another envelope, her name was on it. She won Female Artist of the Year, Artist-Songwriter of the Year, and Music Event of the Year, along with Riley Green and Song and Single of the Year for “Choosin’ Texas.”
During her speech for Female Artist of the Year, she thanked Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and Kelsea Ballerini for supporting her career. At one point, she used to pause for a moment, look to the crowd, and smile just before giving the speech. It was natural.
According to the Academy of Country Music, Langley set a new record for the most ACM wins by a single artist in one year.
Cody Johnson Seals the Night with Entertainer of the Year
The biggest category of the night was “Entertainer of the Year,” and it went to Cody Johnson. When his name was announced, he was so confused that he didn’t believe it at all. He had already won Male Artist of the Year earlier in the evening, but this win was special.
Johnson spoke about growing up listening to country music and chasing a career that was more like a fluke. He said, “When I go home, I’m a husband, I’m a father, I’m a cattle rancher.”
Then, he mentioned Luke Combs in his speech. Johnson shared a story about watching Combs perform in Australia during the birth of his child. He said seeing Combs on stage in that moment changed the way he looked at dedication and professionalism.
Johnson beat out a stacked group of nominees that included Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Megan Moroney, and Lainey Wilson.
Brooks & Dunn are Somehow Still Adding Trophies
Brooks & Dunn won the “Duo of the Year” award. The majority of people sitting in on that show and people watching on the stream were not even amazed. This duo has made winning awards a tradition in ACM. Based on AOL, they were nominated with Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, Muscadine Bloodline, and Thelma & James.
The duo picked up the award for the 18th time Sunday night. They broke their own record. Ronnie Dunn joked during the speech, “I don’t understand why you aren’t getting sick of us.”
Meanwhile, The Red Clay Strays won the “Group of the Year” for the first time. Last year, they won “New Group of the Year.” During their speech, they shared how they started singing in small bars and never expected to be able to stand on a stage like this.
Shania Twain was Hilarious With Her Jokes
This was the first time for Shania Twain as the host of the ACM Awards, and she was amazing.
During her opening monologue, Twain joked that she “couldn’t sit still” because she was too excited to host. She also looked back on her ACM wins from 1996 and talked about how much country music has changed since then.
“What a time it is in country music,” Twain said. “Our songs and storytellers are everywhere, from your local honky-tonk to this global stage.”
The crowd inside the arena hyped her a lot. Her presence gave the show a different energy compared to recent years.
The full list of major ACM Awards 2026 winners by Billboard:
- Entertainer of the Year — Cody Johnson
- Female Artist of the Year — Ella Langley
- Male Artist of the Year — Cody Johnson
- Duo of the Year — Brooks & Dunn
- Group of the Year — The Red Clay Strays
- New Female Artist of the Year — Avery Anna
- New Male Artist of the Year — Tucker Wetmore
- Album of the Year — Parker McCollum by Parker McCollum
- Song of the Year — “Choosin’ Texas” by Ella Langley
- Single of the Year—”Choosin’ Texas” by Ella Langley
- Music Event of the Year — “Don’t Mind If I Do” by Riley Green and Ella Langley
- Visual Media of the Year — “Cuckoo” by Stephen Wilson Jr.
- Songwriter of the Year — Jessie Jo Dillon
- Artist-Songwriter of the Year — Ella Langley
Sources and References:
Deadline – The list of performers who performed at the ACM Awards.
Academy of Country Music – Langley broke the record for the most ACM awards by a single performer in a single year.
AOL—Brooks & Dunn beat Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, Muscadine Bloodline, and Thelma & James for the “Duo of the Year” award.
Billboard – The full list of the major ACM awards winners in 2026.
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