Seven of the biggest names in country music faced off in the Entertainer of the Year category at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards.
Cody Johnson ultimately took home the top prize, which he dedicated to his “buddy” and fellow nominee Luke Combs during the Sunday, May 17, ceremony at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“When I was a little kid, I remember my mom walked in my room, and I had little microphone, and it was duct-taped to the side of my bunk bed, and I had a guitar with no strings on it, and I was singing, ‘Girl, while you’re walking out / Please walk out real slow / ‘Cause I’m learning as you go.’ It’s a Rick Trevino song,” Johnson, 38, said during his acceptance speech. “All I’ve ever wanted to do was be in front of a crowd and entertain.”
He continued, “They say that music is the sound of emotion, and I get to use my platform to not only promote positivity in this country and all over the world, [but] I get to use it to make you feel emotions that I feel. … It’s the greatest drug that has ever been introduced on planet Earth.”
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Combs, 36, Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney and Morgan Wallen rounded out the list of nominees in the Entertainer of the Year category.
Of the contenders, Moroney, 28, led with nine total nominations this year, including Female Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for “Am I Okay?,” Single of the Year and Visual Media of the Year for “6 Months Later,” Music Event of the Year for “You Had to Be There” with Kenny Chesney and Artist-Songwriter of the Year.
Wilson, 33, followed closely behind with seven nods for Female Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Single of the Year and Visual Media of the Year for “Somewhere Over Laredo” and Music Event of the Year for “Trailblazer” with Reba McEntire and Miranda Lambert.
Stapleton, 48, trailed with six nominations for Male Artist of the Year as well as Song of the Year, Music Event of the Year and Visual Media of the Year for “A Song to Sing” with Lambert, 42.
For his part, Johnson earned four nods for Male Artist of the Year, which he also won, as well as Single of the Year and Visual Media of the Year for “The Fall.”
Combs and Wallen, 33, received three nominations each. Both were recognized in the Artist-Songwriter of the Year category. Combs was also up for Male Artist of the Year, while Wallen’s I’m the Problem vied for Album of the Year.
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Jelly Roll, 41, garnered two total nods, as his and Shaboozey’s song, “Amen,” competed for Music Event of the Year.
Prior to Sunday’s ceremony, Wilson was the two-time reigning Entertainer of the Year after earning the accolade in 2024 and 2025. Stapleton was the only other nominee with a past win in the category in 2023.
During her 2025 acceptance speech, Wilson confessed, “I’m sure everybody deals with a little bit of imposter syndrome, but I won’t lie to you — I have a little bit.”
Despite her doubts at times, the songstress noted, “I dreamed about entertaining. I love making people feel things. I love making people laugh and smile and cry. I’m sorry, I like to make you cry. … Country music has given me more than I deserve.”
Over the years, Stapleton has been nominated for Entertainer of the Year eight times, followed by Combs with seven nods and Wallen with four. Wilson, Johnson and Jelly Roll have each been up for the award three times, while Moroney landed her first-ever nomination in the category this year.
