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Morgan Wallen was notably absent from the 2025 American Country Music Awards despite having earned seven nominations, including Entertainer of the Year.
This year’s ACM Awards were held Thursday night at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
However, instead of attending the event, the 31-year-old country music star shared a photo on his Instagram Story that evening of him tossing a football on a golf course with retired NFL star Tom Brady.
“Had a little mustard on it @tombrady,” Wallen captioned the picture.
In addition to being nominated for the show’s top award, the Entertainer of the Year, the “Love Somebody” singer had earned nods for Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Music Event of the Year, and Artist-Songwriter of the Year.
He lost out in all seven categories.
The reason for Wallen’s absence remains unknown, though it continues his streak of missed awards shows.
The Independent has contacted Wallen’s representative for comment.
In February, he skipped the 2025 Grammy Awards, where he was a first-time nominee with two nominations, and the year before that, he sat out of the 2024 CMA Awards, where he went on to win the award for Entertainer of the Year.
Jeff Bridges, who presented the category, went on to accept the award on Wallen’s behalf, telling the crowd: “Morgan couldn’t make it tonight, so I’m going to accept this award on his behalf. Alright, let’s hear it for Morgan!”
Earlier this year, Wallen stirred controversy after he abruptly walked off the Saturday Night Live stage during a March episode where he performed as the musical guest, alongside Oscar-winning actor Mikey Madison as guest host.
His exit came before the broadcast was officially over, as the end credits were just starting to roll. Meanwhile, Madison stayed on the stage, hugging and chatting with SNL cast members — as most hosts and musical guests do at the end of each episode.
Following the taping, the “Cowgirls” singer shared a picture on his Instagram Story of a private jet on a runway. “Get me to God’s country,” he simply wrote in the caption.
Wallen’s team later spoke out about his immediate departure, insisting there was no ill intent behind it. It was also revealed that Wallen had walked on and off the stage the same way during rehearsals, and he may not have been thinking about the camera during his abrupt departure during the broadcast.
Nearly a week after his SNL drama, he spoke on an episode of Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast about the parts of fame he doesn’t enjoy.
“There’s parts of that that I don’t like,” Wallen said of fame. “I think anybody who has to deal with that … it’s not ideal. It’s not ideal to go everywhere.
“And even if you don’t get bothered, you were on edge the whole time because you thought you might [be bothered],” he continued. “There’s things that you just don’t do. There’s just things you don’t do anymore.”
Wallen then explained how hunting with friends always eases his anxieties.
“I can go be with my buddies. I’m in the middle of nowhere. I can be at ease. I can not stress out,” he said. “You just find ways to supplement [fame].”
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