Jessie Murph Reveals She’ll Be Walking The 2025 ACM Awards Red Carpet With A Pig
First-time ACM nominee Jessie Murph might be snagging an unofficial award for “Best Red Carpet Guest.” While many artists bring family, friends, or significant others to major award ceremonies, the songstress revealed to Country Now that for her ACM Awards debut, she is going to be accompanied by an adorable pig named Wilbur. “It’s a real pig. He’s a little guy. His name’s Wilbur,” she shared. “I just decided that I wanted a pig and I’ve always wanted one my whole life. I’ve always wanted a mini pig and then I find out that miniature pigs don’t exist.” Not only will the four-legged pet be walking the red carpet with her, but he will be doing it in style with an accessory to match her look. “He’s supposed to wear a matching bow,” she said with excitement.
Murph will be lucky to have such a great companion by her side, as she celebrates her nomination for New Female Artist of the Year. The title has since been claimed by Ella Langley, but while reflecting on the recognition, Murph admits she was a bit surprised to see her name among country acts like Langley, Dasha, Ashley Cooke, and Kassi Ashton. “It was so mind-blowing. I was not expecting it. I don’t feel like I’m a country artist. I was a little bit like, what? But I’m happy to be here and I’m happy to be here supporting everybody,” she shared honestly.
The Alabama native’s catalog might not lean too heavily on the country side; however, she has dipped her toe in the genre through collaborations with country acts like Koe Wetzel and Bailey Zimmerman. “I think that’s why I was a little shocked because it’s a mix of a bunch of different things. It’s mostly just the stuff I grew up listening to. I’m from Alabama, so I heard a lot of country growing up, but I also heard a lot of rap and a lot of pop and all this stuff. So it’s just a culmination of all that I’d say.”
With new music and a headline tour on the way, there is potential for even more country music to enter her repertoire as she hinted that her next project will feature “lots of collaborations.” She will launch her next run dubbed, Worldwide Hysteria The Tour, on July 27 in Phoenix, AZ, and continue with stops across the U.S. as well as Germany, New Zealand, Denmark, and more.
This year marks a milestone 60th anniversary for the ACM Awards, and to celebrate, the show on May 8 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas will open with a can’t-miss tribute to ACM Songs of the Year from the past six decades. This portion of the show will feature performances by Clint Black, Dan + Shay, Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, and Sugarland.
Throughout the night, viewers will also see a run of epic solo performances by Kelsea Ballerini, Blake Shelton, Alan Jackson, Brothers Osborne, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Chris Stapleton, Zach Top, and Lainey Wilson. Plus, several collaborations will take place, welcoming Backstreet Boys with Rascal Flatts, Jelly Roll with Shaboozey, and Brooks & Dunn with Cody Johnson to the stage.
16-time ACM Award-winner Reba McEntire is returning to reclaim her hosting duties yet again. This will mark the country icon’s 18th time hosting or co-hosting the event, more than any other artist in ACM history. The 60th ACM Awards will stream live around the world on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT, exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, reaching audiences in over 240 countries and territories.
Jessie Murph’s ACM Awards appearance comes just days after she announced a massive headlining trek, dubbed the Worldwide Hysteria Tour. The 50-date tour, kicking off on July 27 in Phoenix, will visit the United States, Canada, Australia, and more, before wrapping up on November 22 in Auckland, New Zealand. She also told the outlet that she is working on a new project, which will feature “lots of collaborations.” The forthcoming new album will follow the release of her buzzed-about debut effort, That Ain’t No Man That’s the Devil.
As the excitement builds for the 2025 ACM Awards, fans are eager to see how Jessie Murph’s unique approach to the red carpet will unfold. With her charming companion Wilbur by her side, it’s sure to be a memorable night for the young artist and her fans.
