Shania Twain and Shabuzi paid tribute to Willie Nelson, who just turned 93, along with the audience at the 2026 ACM Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
Twain, the show’s host, took the stage with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and asked the audience to collectively wish Nelson a happy birthday. Chabuzi took a selfie video of the entire crowd as he agreed to their request, wishing him a happy birthday in unison, before presenting the award for Single of the Year, which Nelson won in 1982 for the song “Always on My Mind.” (On Sunday night, the award went to Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas.”)
Earlier in the show, Twain paid tribute to the ACM Awards hosts who came before her as she kicked off the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards.
Sunday’s ceremony was the country star’s first time hosting the annual awards show. After Lainey Wilson started the show with an energetic performance of “Can’t Sit Still,” Twain stormed out on stage with her hit “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” In her monologue, she noted that she had won her first ACM Award in 30 years, for her widely successful album. Come on overfeaturing the aforementioned song.
Twain noted that she started singing at the age of eight but did not have her first Top 10 hit until she was 30. a little Miss Twain, “It’s all about that long journey, and I can’t wait to share it with you,” she said, noting that it’s coming in July.
“Little Miss Twain never imagined she would be hosting tonight,” she added, nodding to past hosts including Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Charley Pride, Glen Campbell and Kenny Rogers.
Later in the show, she showed a clip of Dolly Parton announcing Twain as the 2000 Artist of the Year. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend that ceremony because she was out of the country. “It was an honor for the greatest hero ever to accept the award on my behalf,” Twain said on stage. “Thank you, Dolly. We will always love you, and we can’t wait for you to be back here on this stage,” she added, referring to Parton’s recent health issues. (Cody Johnson was named Artist of the Year on Sunday night.)
While the show featured a large number of performers, Twain did not perform himself.
At the conclusion of the show, Twain announced that the ACM Awards would return to Vegas in 2027.
Twain took over the reins Sunday night from fellow country icon McEntire, who has hosted the show 18 times overall, including the 2024 and 2025 shows. Twain herself has won five all-time ACM Awards, including the prestigious Entertainer of the Year award in 2000.
“It’s one of the rare moments when I have the opportunity to see everyone and meet a lot of new artists,” Twain said. Bulletin board earlier this week to host the show. “I haven’t met a lot of them yet, and I’m excited to just be among the full ACMs experience.”
ACM Awards producer Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge, which also owns Hollywood Reporter.
