The night of the CMA Awards is one of the biggest in Nashville, when the stars align and everybody who is anybody in the country music scene is on hand to perform, present, receive an award or just enjoy the show.
But it isn’t only Music City’s finest who show up: Sometimes, even the performance lineup interspersed with stars from across the genre spectrum — and, some years, the most unlikely celebrities are nominated for (and sometimes even win) the coveted awards.
From Snoop Dogg to Jason Alexander, Sissy Spacek to Olivia Newton-John, the CMA Awards have included a few surprising nominees and winners throughout the years. Click through the gallery below to learn about some of the most unexpected victors, and a few who came close, but didn’t quite win:
The 2021 CMA Awards are scheduled for Wednesday (Nov. 10) and will air live on ABC beginning at 8PM CT. The show will take place at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and will be hosted by Luke Bryan.
The Boot will be staying up late covering the most buzzed-about winners, fashion and moments at the 2021 CMA Awards. Readers can watch along with us by checking back to TheBoot.com for the latest CMAs headlines, liking The Boot on Facebook and following The Boot on Twitter.
WATCH: Test Your CMA Awards Knowledge