Nine Nominations, Zero Appearance: The Real Reason Megan Moroney Missed the 2026 ACM Awards

Megan Moroney skipped the ACMs for the most old-school, defensible reason: she was out of the country being maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding. Hard to argue with that.

Why Megan wasn’t in Vegas

On Sunday, May 17, the 28-year-old posted on her Instagram Story that she was honored to be nominated at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards and was cheering on friends from afar, but she was busy with MOH duty to get her bestie, Natalie King, married. Instead of a red-carpet look, she shared a snap in a comfy two-piece loungewear set while getting the bride ready. King, by the way, is the friend she wrote about in her 2021 song 'Wonder.'

Moroney also gave fans a heads-up that she can’t wait to see everyone in Columbus on May 29 — that date’s already sold out — and that she’s counting down the days.

How the show handled it

During the telecast at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, host Shania Twain (60) made a point to acknowledge Moroney’s absence and then rolled a pre-taped segment. Twain framed it around ACM Lifting Lives’ support for causes like St. Jude Children’s Hospital and teed up Moroney’s message.

Moroney appeared on the broadcast wearing a St. Jude Music Gives T-shirt and asked viewers to jump in.

'Let’s all band together to help St. Jude beat childhood cancer.'

She said she wished she could be there in person and shouted out St. Jude’s staff for doing life-changing, life-saving work. She also plugged that the T-shirt she was wearing is available online — and told fans to grab one and 'twin' with her.

Big night, even from a distance

Moroney actually led the field going into Sunday’s show with nine nominations, including Entertainer of the Year and Female Artist of the Year. Not bad for the 'Tennessee Orange' singer who wasn’t even in the building.

Tour mode is on

She’ll keep the momentum rolling with The Cloud 9 Tour, which kicks off May 29. Back on May 12, she posted that rehearsals were done, there were 17 days until opening night, and fans had 17 days to learn a new song — with a 'swipe for a surprise' tease.

• Date she explained the absence: Sunday, May 17
• Reason: maid of honor duties at Natalie King’s wedding (the friend from her 2021 song 'Wonder')
• On-air moment: pre-taped message introduced by host Shania Twain at the MGM Grand Garden Arena
• Charity spotlight: ACM Lifting Lives and St. Jude Children’s Hospital; Moroney wore a St. Jude Music Gives tee available online
• Nominations: a leading nine, including Entertainer of the Year and Female Artist of the Year
• Tour: The Cloud 9 Tour starts May 29; Columbus date is sold out
• Where to watch the ACMs: streaming on Prime Video