The 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards on Wednesday (September 16) made sure to throw in a surprise at the end of the ceremony when awarding the night's coveted Entertainer of the Year honor.
For the award, which was presented by host Keith Urban, the big-time title went to both Thomas Rhett and Carrie Underwood. The two beat out Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Luke Combs. "Oh my goodness gracious ... Keith, what is happening right now?" Rhett said as he accepted the award at the podium, before sharing kind words to his family, fans and crew.
Meanwhile, Underwood admitted she was "more than happy to share" the honor with Rhett. Elsewhere in her speech, the American Idol alum thanked the team behind her success and gave a sweet shoutout to the ACM production for keeping everyone safe amid social distancing protocol. "To have my name mentioned with his, and Luke and Luke and Eric Church, I am beyond honored. Thank you UMG. Thank you, Anne and my HQ team," she exclaimed. "Thank you, fans, for coming out and spending your hard earned money. Band, crew, everybody that makes those shows happen. You guys, hold on, it will happen again. Just hold on. Thank you to everybody here putting on the ACMs tonight. You guys made us all feel safe and you worked so hard. I'm just really glad that we all got to celebrate."
This marks the first time in ACM history that two acts have taken home the title. Additionally, Underwood becomes the first woman to ever earn three Entertainer of the Year honor. If you missed out on the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards, iHeartRadio has you covered with a full list of winners from the big night in country. Click here for more on that!
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