# Another Country Star Opts to Skip 2026 CMA Awards After Being Denied Red Carpet Access Like Sammy Kershaw

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/another-country-star-opts-to-skip-2026-cma-awards-after-being-denied-red-carpet-access-like-sammy-kershaw/
- Published: 2026-11-08T23:10:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-08T23:21:00+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/another-country-star-opts-to-skip-2026-cma-awards-after-being-denied-red-carpet-access-like-sammy-kershaw/
- Topics: Americas, Celebrity, Entertainment, World

## Key points

- Rodney Atkins and Rose Falcon will skip the 2026 CMA Awards.
- They were denied red-carpet access, as was Sammy Kershaw.
- Atkins cited his career achievements and long CMA involvement.

## Summary

Rodney Atkins has said he and his wife, Rose Falcon, will skip the 2026 CMA Awards after being denied permission to walk the red carpet, the same decision recently reported by Sammy Kershaw. Atkins said he felt like an outsider but argued that his career and long involvement with the Country Music Association merited recognition.

He cited his strongest touring year to date, a new single that could give him charting songs in three decades, and three tracks in the top 50 of Country Air Check’s most-played country songs of the past 20 years, including “Watching You” at No. 11. Atkins and Falcon have been CMA voting members for more than 20 years; his album *True South* reached the second round of CMA Album of the Year voting. The ceremony is scheduled for 18 November in Nashville.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.