Shania Twain is set to host the Academy of Country Music Awards for the first time. The 61st ACM Awards will stream live on Prime Video on Sunday, May 17 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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“I’m thrilled to be hosting the 61st ACM Awards in Las Vegas, a place that feels like home,” Twain said in a statement. “It’s such an honor to be part of this incredible night celebrating Country Music’s biggest stars, especially with so many talented women leading nominations this year. I can’t wait to welcome all of the fans and artists out for this unforgettable night.”
“We are honored to welcome global music superstar Shania Twain as our host this year,” ACM CEO Damon Whiteside said. “We couldn’t imagine a more perfect icon to follow our previous iconic hosts, Dolly, Garth, and Reba, blending one of the most important nights in Country Music with the excitement of Las Vegas.” (Editor’s Note: Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks co-hosted the 2023 ACM Awards. Reba McEntire hosted the last two years.)
While this is Twain’s first time hosting the ACM Awards, she hosted the People’s Choice Country Awards in September 2024. That was the second and apparently final installment of that show, which aired on NBC and streamed on Peacock.
Twain is a three-time winner at the ACM Awards. In 1996, she won both top new female vocalist and album of the year for The Woman in Me. Four years later, she won entertainer of the year. In addition, in 2023, she received an honorary award, the Poet’s Award, in recognition of her songwriting career.
Twain has had six top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, including a pair of No. 1 albums, Up! and Now. She has had three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 – “You’re Still the One,” “From This Moment On” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much.” Twain, a native of Canada, is also a five-time Grammy Award winner.
Twain’s selection as host was considered a surprise. McEntire has hosted or co-hosted the ACM Awards 18 times and is just one show away from tying Bob Hope‘s record as the most-frequent host of any major awards show. Hope hosted or co-hosted the Oscars 19 times between 1940 and 1978.
This is the second time in two weeks that ACM Awards executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor has confounded expectations with his choice of a host. On April 9, P!nk, who has yet to appear on Broadway (but is a theater fan) was announced as host of the 2026 Tony Awards, another of the many shows Kapoor is overseeing.
Returning to the Sunday night timeslot, the ACM Awards will feature performances by Cody Johnson, Kacey Musgraves, Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, and Riley Green, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for the 61st ACM Awards and ACM Awards week events are available for purchase on AXS.com.
Established in 1966, the Academy of Country Music Awards is the longest-running country music awards show. The show made history in 2022 as the first major awards ceremony to exclusively livestream, in collaboration with Prime Video. Fans will also be able to watch this year’s show on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, as well as in the Amazon Music app.
The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions (DCP). Kapoor and Patrick Menton are executive producers, with Kapoor also serving as showrunner. Damon Whiteside serves as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music, and Jay Penske and Barry Adelman serve as executive producers for DCP. John Saade will also continue to serve as consulting producer for Amazon MGM Studios.
The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.