Cody Johnson is heading into the 2026 ACM Awards with four nominations, including one for the night’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year. While Johnson would of course like to be named the Entertainer of the Year, he says it really is like winning, just to be nominated.
“I know it’s my third time to be nominated for this,” Johnson tells the Academy of Country Music. “And honestly, if I spent the next ten years getting nominated for Entertainer of the Year and don’t win it, I’m actually okay with that. I think three years ago, I wouldn’t have been okay with that. But to be acknowledged for what I do on stage is probably one of the most important things for me. Just to have a seat at the table, to know that the people in this industry are acknowledging the tickets I’m selling and the streaming and the performance that I put on with my band.
“Me and my band, we don’t run any tracks,” he continues. “It’s all live music. So, I take a lot of pride in that when someone says that they feel like I should be nominated for Entertainer of the Year. But personally, deep down, I can’t deny the fact that I sure hope I win it.”
Johnson shares the Entertainer of the Year category with Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, and Lainey Wilson. He is also nominated for Male Artist of the Year and Single of the Year, for “The Fall.” Johnson was nominated for Visual Media of the Year, also for “The Fall.” That trophy went to Stephen Wilson, Jr., for “Cuckoo.”
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What Cody Johnson Says About Winning Entertainer of the Year at the ACM Awards
Johnson is honored just to be nominated. But he admits that, if he had to choose, it’s the Entertainer of the Year that he wants to win the most.
“If I had to pick one, it’d be Entertainer,” Johnson says on Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly. “That’s 20 years of all the sacrifices, all the miles. Like, that’s the one I’m after. And y’all, I’m a cowboy. That’s the gold buckle. I’m always after the gold buckle.”
Cody Johnson to Perform At the ACM Awards
In addition to being nominated, Johnson will also perform during the ACM Awards. While plenty of artists get anxious, especially performing on live TV, Johnson fortunately isn’t one of them.
“I never get nervous performing on award shows,” Johnson reveals. “It’s probably one of my favorite things to do. Bcause yes, there are fans in the crowd, but as entertainers, we don’t get a lot of opportunities to sit in the seats and watch someone perform. So, one of my favorite things about being at an awards show is watching people perform from the front of the stage. ‘Cause usually we’re tucked back there on the side of the stage, being hidden.
“And I enjoy performing for my friends and my peers,” he adds. “Knowing that those people are in the crowd actually makes me perform a little bit harder.”
The ACM Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, May 17, at 8:00 PM ET on Amazon. Find all the details here.