Luke Bryan Out as 2021 ACM Awards Performer After COVID-19 Diagnosis
Luke Bryan will not be at the 2021 ACM Awards after being recently diagnosed with COVID-19. The country superstar and American Idol judge was scheduled to perform at the big awards show on Sunday night (April 18).
In addition to his spot as a 2021 ACM Awards performer, Bryan is nominated for Entertainer of the Year and Album of the Year at the country music-focused event. A Tuesday (April 13) press release finalizing the awards show's performance lineup does not include Bryan's name among the list of performers, and a representative for the singer confirms the news to Taste of Country. Lady A, who had not yet been announced as performers, have been added to the lineup.
Bryan revealed his COVID-19 diagnosis on Monday (April 12), just hours before the first live show of American Idol's 19th season, which began in February. Original Idol judge Paula Abdul stepped up to fill in for Bryan during the episode, but it's not yet been announced if she'll need to or is able to continue the role for more of the season.
When he announced the news of his diagnosis, Bryan shared that he is "doing well and look forward to being back at it soon."
Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Dan + Shay and more than two dozen other artists are set to perform at the 2021 ACM Awards. Mickey Guyton and Keith Urban are co-hosting the event.
After relocating from Las Vegas, Nev., to Nashville in 2020 out of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACM Awards are back in Nashville in 2021. As showrunners did last year, they're spreading this year's event out across three iconic Music City venues: the Grand Ole Opry House, the Ryman Auditorium and the Bluebird Cafe. They'll be following national, state and local guidelines related to the pandemic, as well as additional, self-imposed safety measures.
The 2021 ACM Awards are set for April 18. They'll begin at 8PM ET and will air live on CBS and stream live on Paramount+. Sign up for Paramount+ here.