Shania Twain and Morgan Wallen are just a few of the artists who have been added to the list of performers for the 2020 CMT Music Awards, along with Gabby Barrett and Sam Hunt. The new additions join a previously announced list of performers, which includes Luke Bryan, Dan + Shay, Ashley McBryde, Little Big Town, Kane Brown and Maren Morris.
The performance comes after Morgan was pulled from his scheduled appearance on October 2 on Saturday Night Live, due to health concerns surrounding COVID-19, after he was seen on social media partying, without wearing a mask or practicing social distancing. The singer later apologized for the incident, vowing to make better choices in the future.
“I think I have some growing up to do,” Morgan said, as part of a lengthy video message he shared on social media. “I think I’ve lost myself a little bit. I’ve tried to find joy in the wrong places and I don’t know, it’s left me with less joy. So I’m gonna go try to work on that. I’m gonna take a step back from the spotlight for a little while, and go work on myself. I wish I could have made country music and my fans proud this Saturday, but I respect the decision once again.”
Kane Brown and actress Sarah Hyland will host the televised event, which will air live on six different networks simultaneously.
“The CMT Music Awards have always been about bringing the fans and their favorite artists together to celebrate,” Kane said. “I have so many great memories of the show-from watching as a fan at home to accepting my first industry award win on the CMT stage. I‘m excited to join this year as a first-time host and can’t wait for everyone to see the amazing performances that are lined up this year.”
“I’m so excited to be co-hosting the 2020 CMT Music Awards this year!” added Sarah. “Fans are the backbone of music and art; without them we would never be able to do what we love. I can’t wait to see what happens at this year’s show and who the fans vote for.”
The CMT Music Awards are entirely fan-voted. The finalists for Video of the Year, the night’s highest honor, are: “Drinking Alone” by Carrie Underwood, “Polaroid” by Keith Urban, “homecoming queen?” by Kelsea Ballerini, “Beer Never Broke My Heart” by Luke Combs, “Bluebird” by Miranda Lambert, and “Bring My Flowers Now,” by Tanya Tucker.
The 2020 CMT Awards will air live on Wednesday, October 21st at 8:00 PM ET, on CMT, MTV, MTV2, Logo, Paramount Network, Pop and TV Land. Vote for the CMT Music Awards Video of the Year winner at Vote.CMT.com.