Carrie Underwood performs onstage in this image released on April 2, 2023 at the CMT Music Awards Outdoor Stage in Austin, Texas
Maggie Friedman/Variety via Getty Images

Why Wasn't Carrie Underwood at the 2023 ACM Awards?

All of the usual big stars of country music showed up in Frisco, Texas for the annual ACM Awards on May 11. Hosted by Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton, the evening was full of exciting moments from numerous nominations for fan-favorite Lainey Wilson, to wild and fun fashion moments from Parton, to a Happy Birthday Facetime call to Willie Nelson. But despite the star-studded event, one major performer was notably absent. Where was Carrie Underwood? The country superstar was nominated for Entertainer of the Year but chose not to attend.

Underwood had been down in Austin, Texas just a month prior for the CMT Awards, where she rocked the red carpet in a glitzy jumpsuit and gave a stellar performance of one of her hit songs. So where was Carrie Underwood at the ACMs? Fans were quick to notice her absence on social media and either speculated where she could be or jumped to her defense for missing the event.

One Twitter user was upset that she received a nod for Entertainer of the Year but not Female Vocalist, which was awarded to Lainey Wilson. "The ACM Awards on tonight, and I pay it no attention. How could Carrie Underwood be nominated for EOY, but not Female Vocalist of the year.? The show that really counts are The CMA'S airing in November..."

The general consensus was many of Underwood's fans felt like she got robbed at ACMs of the Entertainer of the Year honor which went to Chris Stapleton. Another user tweeted, "Carrie is out there living her best life and forgetting all about the #ACMawards tonight. @ACMawards do not deserve her or her talent."

As it turns out, Underwood actually was living her best life in lieu of attending the awards show. She had just returned from a girls trip in Florida with her sisters-in-law, where she notably got a new tattoo.

"Sisters...not by blood...but sisters nonetheless," she shared on Instagram. "God truly showed us great favor by putting us all together. These ladies are strong, kind and faithful and I'm so happy I get to do life with them!!! It's true that you don't get to choose your family, but if I could, I would choose these exact three women to be my sisters-in-law!
From the beach to the tattoo parlor, Destin didn't know what hit it! I love you ladies!!!

Though it wasn't the trip itself to keep Underwood from making her way down to Texas, she shared a photo of some handpicked flowers in her Instagram story, hinting that she's probably enjoying some time home with family leading up to Mother's Day with her two boys. It's unclear the true reason why the superstar ended up skipping the event, but just because she didn't bring home a win doesn't mean she's still not one of the biggest names in country music.

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