Just days before the big awards ceremony, the Country Music Television (CMT) network publicly took a stand on a controversial issue. Their Twitter account acknowledged National Gun Violence Day by calling attention to the issue (according to Wear Orange, more than 100 Americans die by gunfire every day). Not the most popular stance to be taking in a genre associated with rural Southern roots.
Indeed, some former watchers quickly expressed their disapproval. One tweeted, "Well, looks like CMT is off the channel selection for my TVs. Good luck catering country songs to the woke, and may your profits be null!" But others applauded the network for speaking out. A supporter commented, "Thank you, CMT! As a school shooting survivor, seeing you be willing to stand up for the dignity of human life is powerful & means a lot to me."
Which brings up the question: Were the absent stars actually boycotting the awards as a protest against the station's support of gun control? Highly unlikely in Maren Morris' case. The "To Hell and Back" singer has spoken out against private ownership of assault rifles (via The Boot). So there must have been a more pressing reason for her to miss out. As for Gabby Barrett, she hasn't made any public statements either way on the issue. However, as a mom of a 6-month-old baby, she might have had family issues that kept her from accepting the award for CMT Female Video of the Year during the ceremony. The legendary Gladys Knight accepted the award in her honor.
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