NASHVILLE, Tenn. — One of the top moments of this year’s Country Music Association Awards came courtesy of a pop star.
Justin Timberlake joined his friend Chris Stapleton on stage for a performance of “Tennessee Whiskey” and “Drink You Away” during the CMAs on Wednesday night in Nashville.
It was a good night for Stapleton, who snagged three awards, including male vocalist of the year.
The show was hosted again this year by singers Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley. As was to be expected, there were jokes about a high-profile breakup, but in this case, it wasn’t about this summer’s split of the genre’s superstars Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.
“And of course, we can’t ignore the breakup that rocked our world,” Underwood said as the camera panned to Muppets Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog.
Rumors about the relationship between Shelton and fellow The Voice judge Gwen Stefani have been confirmed by reps, who say the pair are dating.
While Shelton lost male vocalist of the year to Chris Stapleton, Lambert took home the trophy for female vocalist of the year, and Luke Bryan was named entertainer of the year.
Here’s one reason you have to love Chris Stapleton — have you ever seen so many Texas hashtags in one post??