Looks like Maren Morris attended the 2022 CMA Awards after all. Though the singer-songwriter was nominated for Album of the Year for her sixth studio album Humble Quest, she had expressed reservations about attending the ceremony due to her recent feud with Jason Aldean's wife Brittany Aldean. After skipping the red carpet, eagle-eyed fans spotted Morris halfway through the ceremony, when Luke Combs nabbed the Album of the Year award for Growin' Up.
But the drama here goes deep, and Morris' last-minute attendance comes as a surprise.
Back in September, Morris questioned whether she would feel "at home" attending the ceremony, telling the Los Angeles Times in September, "Maybe I'll make a game-time decision and go. But as of right now, I don't feel comfortable going...I kind of feel peaceful at the notion of not going."
But Morris showed up in style, posting a video of herself at the CMAs captioned "BYOB, CMA" set to the Taylor Swift song "Karma." A possible reference to the Aldean drama? Morris didn't clarify — but she definitely sent a message.
BYOB, CMA. ? pic.twitter.com/s5GZF6ssgy
— MAREN MORRIS (@MarenMorris) November 10, 2022
Inside the Maren Morris + Brittany Aldean Feud
In late August, Brittany Aldean, an influencer and brand owner, posted a makeup transformation video to Instagram, captioned: "I'd really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life."
Singer Cassadee Pope took to Twitter to criticize Aldean's transphobic statements, and Maren Morris agreed, replying: "It's so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie."
An all-out social media feud ensued. Aldean hit back at Morris on Instagram, sharing images of her new, Barbie-inspired clothing line (a reference to Morris' tweet) with the caption, "Per usual, my words have been taken out of context over the last week 🙄. Instead of getting twisted about the twisting of my words, I've chosen to bring some good out of it."
The images show Aldean wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words "Don't Tread on Our Kids" in classic Barbie font. A portion of the proceeds were donated to Operation Light Shine, an organization that fights child exploitation and human trafficking.
Aldean, whose Instagram bio reads "Unapologetically Conservative," later appeared on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight, and the network aired an image of Maren Morris alongside a banner that read, "Lunatic Country Music Person."
In September, Morris clapped back with a t-shirt line of her own. "*ATTN LUNATICS*," the singer wrote on Instagram, "New shirt in the shop. All proceeds will be split between @translifeline & the @glaad Transgender Media Program 🌈." The all-black t-shirt design included Morris' name and her "Lunatic Country Music Person" moniker, as well as the Trans Lifeline crisis hotline number. Morris revealed that the t-shirt had raised over $150k in donations.
Brittany Aldean accompanied her husband, Jason Aldean, who was nominated for Musical Event of the Year, to the ceremony.
READ MORE: Maren Morris Calls Out Jason Aldean's Wife Brittany for Transphobic Comment
