Cody Johnson and Ashley McBryde are teaming up for an important event. The two will co-host the upcoming CMA Fest TV special, airing on June 26 on ABC, and streaming the next day on Hulu.
In advance of the exciting news, the good friends shared a blooper reel of their many attempts to film a video announcing their new roles.
This isn’t McBryde’s first time hosting the three-hour special. She also hosted last year, alongside Jelly Roll.
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Johnson and McBryde have had a lot of time to spend together. McBryde joined Johnson as the opening act on his Leather Tour last fall. The time on the road only served to strengthen their already close bond.
“Tours are kind of a gamble,” McBryde tells Cowboys & Indians. “But when someone shakes your hand, looks right at you and knows your name, it’s lovely. Our bands and crews are both that way.”
Both Johnson and McBryde will also perform at CMA Fest. Johnson will likely perform his current single, “The Fall.” The song follows his multi-week, No. 1 hit, “I’m Gonna Love You,” with Carrie Underwood.
“’The Fall’ is one of those songs that I feel like should be on a movie soundtrack,” Johnson says. “It should be on a movie soundtrack because it paints that picture of — you can see the struggle to get to the success. And I think for me, I picture guys like Michael Jordan. You see all the work and all the tired and the angry and the tears and the blood, and you get to the successful moment. And you can even apply that to relationships too, but it has that that overall movie quality about it.”
Co-hosting the CMA Fest TV special with McBryde is only part of a big year for Johnson, which also includes him welcoming his third child, and first boy, with his wife Brandi later this year.
“My girls .. you can’t beat my girls,” Johnson boasts to People. “I love my two girls with all my heart. They’re ten and 8, Clara and Cori, and I think I’m excited to watch them help raise this little boy.”
“[I’m] a lot better off now as far as career and financially, than I was when we had [my daughters]… He’s gonna get a horse a little quicker than my kids did,” the Texan adds. “He’s going to get to do some things a little quicker than my daughters did.”
Johnson will also headline a special concert-only event at RODEOHOUSTON in 20026.
This year’s CMA Fest includes dozens of hit superstars performing June 5 to 8, including Ella Langley, Darius Rucker, Kelsea Ballerini, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan and more.
Individual tickets and four-day passes are available at CMAFest.com.