Reba McEntire will return to host the ACM Awards for the 17th time. The 69-year-old, who first hosted the show in 1986, might not have ever returned to host the live ceremony if her good friends, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, hadn’t hosted the ceremony in 2023.
“I saw Dolly and Garth doing it last year, and I thought, ‘Man, that’s fun,'” McEntire told Entertainment Tonight. “They’re having a great time. And my competitiveness came in.”
McEntire has hosted the ACM Awards with fellow celebrities, and has also done it solo, like she will for this year’s ceremony. Even McEntire can’t believe it’s been 38 years since she first hosted the ACM Awards.
“In a way, it seems like 100 years, and in a way, it seems like it just flew by like that,” says the Country Music Hall of Fame member. “Great memories getting to work with Dick Clark, all of the artists, the people that I co-hosted with, back to John Schneider and Mac Davis, George Strait, Randy Owen from Alabama … lots of fun.”
McEntire loves the chance to banter on stage, but she also loves the clothes she gets to wear, and the multiple wardrobe changes that take place throughout the show.
“I think my favorite memories are the clothes that I got to wear, that I wouldn’t wear any place else, other than the ACMs … She’d do different things with my hair, and I’d go for it. We had a blast,” McEntire reveals, adding that she already knows what kind of look she is planning for this year’s event.
“Tough sexy,” McEntire reveals. “I like the look of tough sexy. I’m a cowgirl and I love my jeans and my boots, so add a little sparkle to that, and a little sex appeal, and you got it.”
McEntire is especially excited to host this year’s event since it is being held in Frisco, Texas, not far from her home state of Oklahoma.
“It’s fun with all of the artists coming, joining together,” McEntire says. “Being in Texas — Texas, country music, that just goes hand-in-hand. And I’m just right up the road in Oklahoma. North Frisco, not far. So for me, it’s like coming home.”
Luke Combs leads the list of nominees with eight, followed by Morgan Wallen and Megan Moroney with six nominations. But regardless of who wins, the “Fancy” singer is happy for anyone who is fortunate enough to be nominated.
“Anybody who gets nominated on an awards show I’m thrilled to death for, because that is exposure,” McEntire says. “That’s priceless. If they win, it’s even better. But to get their name and their face on that little box that goes out to millions of people all over the world, I’m so happy for them.”
The first round of performers has already been announced, which will include McEntire, who will debut a brand-new song. But if she had her pick, she knows exactly who she would sing with, and it isn’t a country artist.
“Reba McEntire and Bruno Mars …I’m a huge fan of Bruno,” McEntire says. “I want him to write, and I want part of that choreography too.”
Of course, the country music icon hopes everything goes well, but she knows her fans are hoping she makes a least a few mistakes.
“I love live television. Nothing like it, ’cause if you boo-boo, it’s there forever … and my fans, they love a boo-boo,” she admits. “They think it’s funny.”
The ACM Awards will air live on Thursday, May 16, from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The ceremony will stream live exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Tickets for the general public are available now, via SeatGeek. More information is available at ACMCountry.com.