Carrie Underwood to step down as CMA Awards host after 12 years

Carrie Underwood is standing down as host of the CMA Awards after 12 years of doing so, saying that it’s “time to pass the hosting torch.”
While Underwood is very much known for her music first and foremost, she had become a staple of the CMA Awards for her hosting, which began in 2007.
At the 53rd CMA Awards in November 2019, Underwood controversially missed out on the Entertainer of the Year Award, which went to Garth Brooks for the third time in four years, with many believing that 2019 would be Underwood’s year.
Speaking about her decision on her Instagram page, Underwood said that she doesn’t feel she can keep topping previous years and that being allowed to host the awards is something that she feels so lucky and grateful to have been able to do, while also saying that she has got a lot of things coming in 2020.
“One of the highlights of 2019 and of my entire career so far was being on stage with the legends that are Reba and Dolly Parton,” Underwood said. ” I’m so proud that we could celebrate the incredible female artists that are part of the legacy of country music, past, present and future and I’m thankful for the huge audiences all over the world that tuned in to see it.
“It’s hard to believe that it was my 12th year hosting and I will always treasure every show, from the 11 that I was so lucky to do with my partner in crime and friend for life, Brad Paisley, to sharing the stage with two of my all-time heroes. I’m so incredibly grateful to everyone involved with the CMA Awards all these years.
“It’s hard to imagine topping what we have accomplished together, so I’ve decided that it’s time to pass the hosting torch (at least for now!) to others that will cherish it and honour it as much as I do.
“I’ve got so many exciting things coming in the new year and beyond, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for all of us.”