Kelsea Ballerini is returning as host of the 2022 CMT Music Awards, for the second year in a row, this time joined by a world-famous actor. The ‘Half of My Hometown‘ singer will be joined by Marvel Comics actor Anthony Mackie for the live show, which will air on Monday, April 11th, at 8:00 PM ET on CBS.
Nominations for the CMT Music Awards will be announced on Wednesday, March 16, which is when fan-voting will also begin.
“I’m thrilled to be returning as host at this year’s CMT Awards with Anthony Mackie!” Ballerini gushes. “This award show is always a special one, as it revolves around the fans and celebrates their favorite artists. This year is especially cool to be a part of as CMT grows into a network spot and expands for even more fans to get involved. It’s going to be a big one and I can’t wait!”
Mackie isn’t a stranger to the CMT Music Awards. He was on hand last year to hand out the CMT Music Award for Video of the Year, which went to Carrie Underwood and John Legend, for “Hallelujah.”
“I had the pleasure of presenting at last year’s CMT Music Awards and received the warmest welcome from the country music community and the city of Nashville,” Mackie says. “I can’t wait to get back to Music City to co-host this year’s awards with the amazing Kelsea Ballerini.”
As the CMT Music Awards prepare their inaugural appearance on CBS, after formerly airing on CMT, the CMT Music Awards Executive Producers believe they have the perfect combination for the star-studded show.
“We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pair one of the biggest names in country music with one of the world’s most electrifying superheroes to host our biggest CMT MUSIC AWARDS ever,” Margaret Comeaux, John Hamlin and Leslie Fram share in a joint statement. “Kelsea and Anthony are each wildly successful in their own right and combined, bring mega star power that transcends the worlds of music, film and pop culture with a supersized fan base. We know this dynamic duo is the perfect pairing to bring our show to the next level as we reach our largest global audience ever live on CBS.”
More information on the CMT Music Awards can be found here.