Every now and then, country music gives us a live TV moment so good, it deserves to be framed like a gold record. One of those came straight from the 2019 ACM Awards when Miranda Lambert, already deep into her post-Blake glow-up, threw the kind of shade you don’t recover from overnight. At that point, Miranda had been married to Brendan McLoughlin for a hot minute. Blake was playing house with Gwen Stefani. The industry had largely moved on from the Lambert-Shelton divorce saga. But Miranda still had one last little lyric change tucked in her back pocket, and she pulled it out with a smirk during a medley performance that already had the crowd buzzing.
When she rolled into “Little Red Wagon,” fans knew the line was coming. Instead of singing “I live in Oklahoma,” which was a nod to her old life with Blake, she gave it a new twist. “I got the hell out of Oklahoma.” The fact that @mirandalambert actually said "I got the hell out of Oklahoma" sent the audience into a frenzy. Mic drop. It wasn’t subtle. It wasn’t accidental. And with Blake sitting in the audience, it wasn’t just shade. It was Miranda lighting a full-on fire. No wide-eyed innocence. No playing coy. Just a sharp lyric switch that said everything she didn’t need to tweet.
To be fair, she had been changing that line in her live shows for a while. But this moment was different. This was the ACMs. This was national television. This was a room full of country music’s biggest names and her ex-husband. If there was ever a time to let it rip, this was it. She delivered it with boots planted and a grin that said she knew exactly what she was doing. The only disappointment was the camera. There was no cut to Blake, no reaction shot, just a missed opportunity for TV gold. Come on, ACMs. You had one job.
Fans and media were caught off guard. The dust between the two seemed to have settled, but Miranda understood the power of timing. The crowd roared. Twitter lit up. That new line became an instant classic among country clapbacks. It’s worth noting Miranda didn’t spend the whole night in flamethrower mode. She later joined George Strait on stage for a gorgeous performance of “Run,” again showing why she’s one of the most powerful voices in the genre. She even took a moment to reflect on “Over You,” the song she wrote with Blake about his late brother. She called it a special moment and said she was glad they had that song together. It was a reminder that not every chapter ends in bitterness.
But let’s be real. It’s the fire people remember. The smirk. The stomped-out lyric. That loud and clear message from Miranda Lambert was that she still had something to say. And she knows exactly when to say it.
With the 60th Annual ACM Awards coming up this week, let’s take a look back at one of the most memorable ACM moments in recent history. To be fair, country music awards shows always come off a little cheesy, a little too safe, and to be honest, quite boring… but every so often, you get a moment like this that really sticks in your mind.
Blake and Miranda met back in 2005 during a performance of “You’re The Reason God Made Oklahoma” for CMT’s 100 Greatest Duets concert. Blake was married at the time, but their chemistry was pretty evident on stage, and while he probably didn’t decide to leave his wife right there, Shelton divorced the following year in 2006. He started dating Miranda shortly after that, and they got married in 2011.
Right around that time, Blake and Miranda also went on a run for the ages, releasing hit single after hit single and cleaning up at awards shows. Blake and Miranda both won CMA Awards for Male and Female Vocalist of the Year from 2010 to 2014, with Miranda winning in 2015 as well. And as far as ACMs go, Miranda was cleaning up there too. The pair finally called it quits in 2015 after just 4 years of marriage.
So flash forward to 2019 and Miranda was already married to husband Brendan McLoughlin, Blake was seeing Gwen Stefani, but Miranda still took the opportunity to throw a little shade at Blake during her performance slot. She blew the roof off, performing a medley of hits including “Kerosene,” “Gunpowder and Lead,” and a few more classics, but the moment that left everybody’s jaw hanging open was when she changed the lyrics of “Little Red Wagon” to “I got the hell out of Oklahoma.” Savage. I mean, she wasn’t living with Blake in Oklahoma anymore so it makes sense to change the lyric, but at the same time, it was an obvious shot at her ex-husband.
And while their relationship might’ve been old news at the time, we were all still praying that the camera would pan over to show Blake’s face in that moment. I’m not sure if that was a producer choice, or if the camera folks just dropped the ball, but c’mon… we gotta be better right there. Great moments like this are pretty rare for the ACMs. To be fair, she had been performing the song this way for quite some time by 2019, but with Blake Shelton in the room? That was definitely a first.
It feels like she might’ve put a little something extra behind it with Blake sitting right there… and I don’t blame her for it. At the end of the day, Blake is a pretty good sport and definitely one who doesn’t take himself too seriously. He was more than happy with his new relationship at the time so I could definitely see him laughing about it.
Miranda has since discussed her song “Over You,” which she wrote with Blake about his late brother who passed away in a car accident. She called the song a really special moment and added that she was “glad” they had that together: “It was really a special moment and I’m so glad we shared that song and that it helped his family heal, to have that together.” It went on to win Song of the Year at both the CMAs and the ACMs.
Later in the night, Miranda joined the King of Country Music and fellow Texan, George Strait, for a moving performance of “Run.” And for my money, it’s one of Strait’s best tunes and adding Miranda into the mix just takes it to another level.
The 60th Annual ACM Awards are set to air this coming Thursday, May 8th, at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Ella Langley leads the pack with a whopping eight nominations, while Morgan Wallen is sitting right behind her with seven nods, including a deserved Entertainer of the Year. Texas cowboy, Cody Johnson and powerhouse Lainey Wilson also come in with seven.
Behind them, the great Chris Stapleton has six nominations, while Riley Green enjoys a breakout year with five. Country music newcomer Post Malone also has five. Zach Top snuck in with two nominations, one for Album of the Year for "Cold Beer & Country Music" and a New Male Artist of the Year, which he has already won, and bands like the Red Clay Strays and Flatland Cavalry also received nominations, so it’s cool to see some genuinely great country bands and artists finally get the recognition they deserve.
Of course, country music awards shows always tend to lean pretty commercial, but we’re finally starting to see some indie bands get some love… baby steps. And with all that being said, here are the nominees:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR: Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson.
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Kelsea Ballerini, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Kacey Musgraves, Lainey Wilson.
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen.
DUO OF THE YEAR: Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, Muscadine Bloodline, The War And Treaty.
GROUP OF THE YEAR: Flatland Cavalry, Little Big Town, Old Dominion, Rascal Flatts, The Red Clay Strays, Restless Road.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: "Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine)" – Megan Moroney, "Beautifully Broken" – Jelly Roll, "Cold Beer & Country Music" – Zach Top, "F-1 Trillion" – Post Malone, "Whirlwind" – Lainey Wilson.
SINGLE OF THE YEAR: "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" – Shaboozey, "Dirt Cheap" – Cody Johnson, "I Had Some Help" – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen, "White Horse" – Chris Stapleton, "you look like you love me" – Ella Langley, Riley Green.
SONG OF THE YEAR: "4x4xU" – Lainey Wilson, "The Architect" – Kacey Musgraves, "Dirt Cheap" – Cody Johnson, "I Had Some Help" – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen, "you look like you love me" – Ella Langley, Riley Green.
MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR: "Cowboys Cry Too" – Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan, "I Had Some Help" – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen, "I’m Gonna Love You" – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood, "we don’t fight anymore" – Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton, "you look like you love me" – Ella Langley, Riley Green.
VISUAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR: "4x4xU" – Lainey Wilson, "I’m Gonna Love You" – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood, "Think I’m In Love With You" – Chris Stapleton, "You Look Like You Love Me" – Ella Langley, Riley Green.
ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR: Luke Combs, ERNEST HARDY, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson.
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR: Jessi Alexander, Jessie Jo Dillon, Ashley Gorley, Chase McGill, Josh Osborne.
