How to Watch the 2019 ACM Awards

Will you be watching the 2019 ACM Awards?

Written by Drew Pearce
How to Watch the 2019 ACM Awards
Reba McEntire; Photo credit: Cliff Lipson, CBS

Fans of country music will tune in for “Country Music’s Party of the Year,” also known as the 2019 Academy of Country Music Awards come Sunday, April 7. With iconic entertainer Reba McEntire hosting for the 16th time, the show will feature touching moments from winners and incredible performances from some of the biggest names in country music.

How to Watch: The award show will air on Sunday, April 7 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. Country fans can also livestream the event using CBS All Access, which is free for the first week.

Host: Returning to the role in 2018 after a six-year hiatus, entertainment legend Reba McEntire is back to host the 54th ACM Awards. This will be her 16th time hosting the prestigious event. The three-time Grammy winner announced her return in February by tweeting a clip of her hosting the award show in 2018 and writing, “I guess they finally figured out it only takes one woman to do the job of two men.” Viewers can expect McEntire to bring her signature shade to the stage for some witty jokes and hilarious digs.

Nominees: Chris Stapleton and Dan + Shay killed it this time around with six nominations, while Grammy Album of the Year winner Kacey Musgraves snagged an impressive five. Interestingly, no women were nominated in the Entertainer of the Year category, which caused some controversy in the country music world. “It doesn’t make me very happy, because we’ve got some very talented women who are out there working their butts off,” host McEntire said on CBS This Morning while announcing the nominations in February. “I’m missing my girlfriends on this.” See the full list of nominations here.

Performers: The ACM Awards are known for having fantastic performers, and the roster for 2019 does not disappoint, as George Strait, country music royalty, is set to take the stage. Joining him are showstoppers like Blake SheltonKeith UrbanLuke BryanOld DominionFlorida Georgia Line, Little Big Town, Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett and McEntire herself. Global R&B sensation Khalid is also slated to perform at Country Music’s Party of the Year in a collaboration with Brown.

Presenters: The stars selected to hand out the awards and announce performances will include Lauren Alaina, Beth Behrs, Clint Black, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jessie James DeckerHunter Hayes, Jay Hernandez, Lady AntebellumMidland, Nancy O’Dell, Danica Patrick, Carly Pearce, Dennis Quaid, Michael RayCole Swindell, and Wilmer Valderrama.

Winners: Three rising artists already won the Best New Artist categories. Luke Combs won Best New Male Artist, Ashley McBryde won Best New Female Artist and LANCO took home the award for Best New Group. The Academy will also present the ACM Dick Clark Artist of the Decade Award to Jason Aldean. The rest of the winners will be announced during the event.

The 2019 ACM Awards will kick off live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday, April 7 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.