Follow-Up: CMA Responds to Kershaw Red Carpet Backlash, Says It Is Deeply Sorry and in Touch With His Team
In Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, the 60th annual CMA Awards are set for November 18 at Bridgestone Arena. At midday on November 9, the Country Music Association (CMA) posted a statement on its official Instagram account responding to the days-long controversy over 1990s country star Sammy Kershaw being denied the red carpet. The association said it was deeply sorry anyone felt excluded by those decisions, and said it is in touch with Kershaw's team.
The statement said several artists and their fans had spoken out in recent days about this year's CMA Awards red carpet guidelines. Like any major televised event, it said, the red carpet has criteria that exist to help manage limited space and the security needs for both the artists and the media. 'We are deeply sorry anyone felt excluded by those decisions,' the statement said.
The statement added that the organization's mission is to honor the history and celebrate the excellence of country music. With this 60th anniversary year, it said, it is working extra hard to spotlight the last six decades while also celebrating what has been a tremendous year in 2026. It said this is about more than a red carpet, that it is committed to keep listening and keep finding ways to make sure all artists feel welcome and at home, and that it is in touch with Sammy Kershaw's team and looks forward to continuing that conversation.
Kershaw posted on November 5 that his request to walk this year's red carpet had been denied, saying he was pretty sad about the decision and that it really hurts. He wrote that he and his wife, Mendy, had been looking forward to the event and had already booked their accommodations, after being strung along for several months and learning of the denial two weeks before the show. Kershaw is a former CMA Horizon Award nominee and a lifetime CMA member. After his post, fellow artists including Riley Green and Mark Chesnutt spoke out in his defense. On November 8, singer Rodney Atkins posted that he and his wife had also been denied red carpet access and had decided not to attend this year's awards.
According to The Tennessean, fan reaction to the CMA statement was mixed. Some commenters called on the association to cut invitations for influencers and other non-country figures and make room for veteran artists, with one writing, 'Forget the influencers! Let Sammy walk.' As of publication, Kershaw had not publicly responded to the CMA statement, and the association had not announced whether it will change the red carpet arrangements for Kershaw or Atkins.
Source: Country Music Association
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：萨米·克肖本人资料图（右，2018年2月摄于一场演出期间，Republic Country Club摄，CC BY 2.0，经Wikimedia Commons），非本次颁奖礼画面。/ File photo: Sammy Kershaw (right, February 2018, by Republic Country Club, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons); not a photo from the awards.
- 2026-11-06Sammy Kershaw Says the CMA Denied Him the Red Carpet: Manager Says He Could Buy $800-Plus Tickets Instead
- 2026-11-06Follow-Up: Support Widens for Kershaw After CMA Red-Carpet Denial, as Chesnutt Speaks Out and a Fellow Singer Offers His Own Spot
- 2026-11-09Follow-Up: Rodney Atkins Says He and His Wife Were Also Denied the CMA Red Carpet; Both Will Skip the November 18 Awards
- 2026-11-09Follow-Up: CMA Responds to Kershaw Red Carpet Backlash, Says It Is Deeply Sorry and in Touch With His TeamThis story
