ENTERTAINMENTDolly Parton Kicks Off 2022 ACM Awards By Sending 'Love' To Ukraine
Dolly Parton kicked off the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards by paying tribute to Ukraine.
The iconic songstress opened the show, which was streamed live on Amazon Prime from Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium on Monday night, March 7, wearing a disco-inspired tight-fitted dress.
While maintaining she wasn't interested in coming under fire for making a political statement on stage, Parton took a moment to address the war in Ukraine.
"I don’t want to be political and this is not. I’d rather pass a kidney stone than do that," she quipped before saying, "I want us to send our love and hope to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine."
The 76-year-old — who has earned several ACM Awards throughout her impressive career — added she would "pray for peace" and dedicated the awards show to those affected by Russia's devastating attack on the European democracy.
After paying respect, Parton handed things over to co-hosts Jimmie Allen, 36, and Gabbie Barrett, 22, who sang "Viva Las Vegas" and "Let's Go To Vegas."
In addition to Allen and Barrett's impressive performance, a slew of performers including Kelly Clarkson, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church and more country stars took the stage, including Parton herself.
Chris Young led the charge as the most-nominated artist with seven nods, including Album of the Year and Single of the Year. Close behind was Walker Hayes — who was nominated for the ACM Awards for the first time — Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton with five nominations each.
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift was nominated for the first time since 2018, with her "I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version)" music video earning actress Blake Lively, who produced and directed the project, her first ACM nomination.
So far, Carley Pearce and Ashley McBryde were announced as winners of the Music Event of the Year award for "Never Wanted To Be That Girl.” In addition, Lambert and Elle King were announced as the winners of the Video of the Year award for “Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home).”
Meanwhile, Chris Stapleton and Pearce took home the awards for Best Male and Female Artists of the Year, respectively.
