Country Icon Shania Twain Announces Surprise Career Milestone Ahead of Major Awards Show
The host for the upcoming 61st annual Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards has been announced. Shania Twain will serve as the night's emcee when "Country Music's Party of the Year" returns this spring.
This is Twain's first time hosting the event, which will be held in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, May 17. And she has already shared her excitement over her latest career milestone.
"I'm thrilled to be hosting the 61st ACM Awards in Las Vegas, a place that feels like home," the "Any Man of Mine" singer, 60, said in a statement, according to Billboard. "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."
Who Scored the Most Nominations?
This year, women are dominating the field of nominees, with Megan Moroney being the night's most nominated female country artist. She leads with nine in total, one ahead of Miranda Lambert, who scored eight nominations. Meanwhile, Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson each received seven nods heading into the highly anticipated awards ceremony.
In a video post, shared via Instagram on Wednesday, April 22, Twain, a three-time ACM award winner, highlighted her throwbacks of ACM Award experiences and wins while further voicing her enthusiasm for her upcoming program duties, writing, "First time hosting the @acmawards!! Now what will I wear? 🤠looking forward to a night of Country Music and celebrating musical talent in my favourite city!"
ACM CEO Damon Whiteside added, "We are honored to welcome global music superstar Shania Twain as our host this year. We couldn't imagine a more perfect icon to follow our previous iconic hosts, Dolly [Parton], Garth [Brooks], and Reba [McEntire], blending one of the most important nights in Country Music with the excitement of Las Vegas."
He continued, "Shania has an impressive history on the ACM Awards stage, including her win of the coveted ACM Entertainer of the Year trophy and receiving the ACM Poet's Award honoring her prolific songwriting career."
"Let's Go, Girls! 💖 @shaniatwain is hosting the 61st #ACMawards - LIVE from @mgmgrand in Las Vegas! 🎤 Tune in Sunday, May 17 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT on @primevideo. 🤩," a joint post by the ACM Awards and MGM Grand Garden Arena Instagram pages read in a celebratory announcement.
The 2026 ACM Awards will stream live from MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17 at 7:00 p.m. CT and will be available on Amazon Prime Video.
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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 10:04 PM.