Megan Moroney will not be in Las Vegas to collect any new hardware at the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards. The country singer, who led all artists with nine nominations, said she was out of the country this week serving as maid of honor for her best friend Natalie King’s wedding.
Moroney posted that she was “so honored” to be nominated at the ACMs and was rooting for her friends from afar, but said she could not be at the show because she was on MOH duty to get her best friend married. That put her on the other side of the Atlantic on a night when many fans expected to see her on the red carpet or, perhaps, onstage in one of the biggest moments of the country calendar.
The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards were held in Las Vegas and aired on Prime Video at 8 p.m. EST, 7 p.m. CST. Moroney’s absence stood out because she was the most-nominated artist of the night, with nods for Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Song of the Year as both artist and songwriter, Single of the Year, Music Event of the Year, Visual Media of the Year for Artist and Director, and Artist-Songwriter of the Year.
Moroney and King met during their college days at the University of Georgia, a connection that now explains why the singer chose a wedding over one of the busiest nights of her career. It is a neat but unusual trade: a chance to pick up trophies in front of the country music world, or a chance to stand beside the friend she has known since school.
That choice also leaves a clear mark on the night’s storyline. Moroney may have been the most nominated artist at the 61st ACMs, but she was not there to turn that momentum into an on-camera victory moment. Her Cloud 9 tour was set to begin in Columbus, Ohio, on May 29, giving her little time to linger on the outcome once the awards ended.
For now, the answer to the night’s central question is simple: Moroney is missing the ACM Awards for a wedding, and the winner’s-circle photos will have to happen without her if those nominations turn into trophies.
