Hardy, who won a bunch of awards at the ACMs, recently explained why he cried after Morgan Wallen won ACM Album of the year. Despite his own wins, it appears the country music artist got more emotional seeing his friend, Wallen, who was banned from last year’s awards, win.
“He works very hard. He deserves that award,” Hardy told ET .”For those that don’t know, your peers, our co-workers vote for who should win this award. To know that the entire country music industry voted for him to win that …”
Hardy, a friend of Morgan Wallen, Said it ‘Means a Lot’ That Wallen Won
“Me and my fiancee cried, I think, moreover that award than this one,” he said in an interview after the show. “It means a lot for him. It means a lot.”
The album he won the award for, Dangerous: The Double Album, was released and saw commercial success. It did so amidst controversy after Wallen was caught on video using a racial slur in early 2021. In his speech, he thanked “everyone who has shown me grace along the way.”
When the video surfaced, Wallen was criticized by his fellow country artists. His music was dropped from several radio stations, and his label suspended his contract. However, it didn’t take Wallen long to get back into the country scene after that. He’s since played at the Grand Ole Opry and announced a tour.
In reference to his banishment from last year’s award, Hardy said that he feels “Everybody deserves a second chance.”
Here’s Who Else Won Big at the ACM Awards
Other than Hardy and Morgan Wallen, other artists also won big at the ACM awards. Miranda Lambert for instance, won Entertainer of the Year and Video of the Year. However, she wasn’t in attendance this year.
A newcomer, Lainey Wilson, also won big, taking home ACM Awards’ New Female Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for her song Things a Man Oughta Know.
“This song is about treating people right, and it’s not something that just a man oughta know,” she said of her song “It’s something that we all need to know. It’s about the golden rule.”
And Lambert got to present Lainey Wilson with the award over video. Wilson was thrilled, praising Lambert.
“I just want to say thank you for paving the damn way for me to be able to have an opportunity like this… Man, this is the best news I think I’ve ever gotten,” she said.
This was also the first year the ACM awards switched to streaming, having the two-hour show on Amazon prime instead of on a traditional TV channel.
