Wednesday night’s 53rd annual Country Music Association Awards was supposed to be about honoring the legendary women of the genre, but in the end one award resulted in what some viewed as the opposite of that.
Garth Brooks took home the prestigious Entertainer of the Year award that more than a few wanted to see go to Carrie Underwood.
Underwood, who co-hosted with fellow superstars Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire, has had a banner year with her “Cry Pretty” album and tour.
But Brooks bested her, as well as Eric Church, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban, to take home the trophy, prompting one person to tweet “This is such a slap in the face.”
“Not only to Carrie, but to the women of country music in general,” the tweet went on to say. “So much for celebrating women tonight, but you’re going to continue giving these awards to mediocre men. @CountryMusic congrats on getting it wrong yet again.”
Underwood – who has cohosted since 2008 – had even garnered some high-profile support prior to the show.
Last month, Miranda Lambert posted a lengthy explanation on Instagram about why Underwood deserved the award. The post highlighted Underwood’s all-female tour and “That iconic voice has been classin’ up our stages, charts and televisions for a decade and a half.”
“She blows me away every time I hear her sing,” Lambert wrote. “She never wavers in who she is or what she stands for. She has stayed true & pushed herself to be better.”