NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess) — Country music icon Garth Brooks announced that he would like to withdraw himself from consideration for entertainer of the year at this year’s CMA Awards.
According to Variety, Brooks made the announcement during a press conference with reporters on Zoom, noting that he was aware of criticism from fans after winning the award for the third time in four years in 2019.
“There was one tweet in there that really stuck in my head,” Brooks said during the videoconference. “It said ‘Why doesn’t this guy step down and have the entertainer [of the year] for the next generation.’ I one hundred percent agreed,” Brooks added.
So with all the love in the world, all the gratefulness — because the last thing I wanted to do is seem ungrateful to the CMAs and everybody that has voted for us — we are officially pulling ourselves out of entertainer of the year. And my (lucky) number is seven. You guys know that… It’s time for somebody else to hold that award, know what (being) that entertainer (winner) feels like, because they’re all out there busting their butts,” he continued.
According to Variety, Brooks went on to say that he had been in discussions with the Country Music Association about withdrawing since earlier this year and suggested an emeritus title instead.
However, he was told he cannot unilaterally remove himself of voting members of the CMA still want to nominate him. Brooks added that he is hopeful the members will honor his request by not casting votes for him in the final preliminary round.
Brooks has won Entertainer of the Year seven times over the course of his career, with three of those wins coming in the last three years. Last year, he was named entertainer of the year over the favorite Carrie Underwood, who many observers expected to win the accolade after the CMA made a publicity push around 2019 to be the year of the woman.
