# Sammy Kershaw Receives Personal Apology From CMA Awards After Red Carpet Denial, Reveals Whether He’ll Attend

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/sammy-kershaw-receives-personal-apology-from-cma-awards-after-red-carpet-denial-reveals-whether-hell-attend/
- Published: 2026-11-11T14:19:19+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T15:41:50+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/sammy-kershaw-receives-personal-apology-from-cma-awards-after-red-carpet-denial-reveals-whether-hell-attend/
- Topics: Business, Markets, Software, Technology

## Key points

- CMA leadership apologised to Sammy Kershaw.
- Kershaw and his wife were invited to the red carpet.
- He said the issue was respect for country music’s pioneers.

## Summary

Sammy Kershaw says the Country Music Association has apologised privately after he was initially denied a place on the CMA Awards red carpet. The dispute drew support from fans and fellow country artists, and Kershaw said it was about recognising the performers who built the genre, rather than the red carpet itself.

Kershaw said he accepted the apology and that he and his wife, Mendy, have been invited to walk the carpet. He explained that his comments came from feeling hurt and that he had rarely been able to attend the awards because he was recording or touring. The ceremony is scheduled for 18 November at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with streaming on Hulu the following day.

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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.