Blake Shelton, Reba, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean and More Join 'CMT Celebrates Our Heroes' Special

CMT's upcoming CMT Celebrates Our Heroes: An Artists of the Year Special has added even more big [...]

CMT's upcoming CMT Celebrates Our Heroes: An Artists of the Year Special has added even more big names to its lineup, announcing a number of additional artists and celebrities who will be participating in the event, which will air on June 3. Blake Shelton, Bobby Bones, Cody Alan, Gary Sinise, Jake Owen, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Lee Brice, Olivia Munn, Reba McEntire, Scarlett Johansson, Sean Penn and Zac Brown have all been added to the broadcast.

The two-hour special is a tribute to those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic and will honor heroes in a number of categories including health care, education, business, community leaders, food industry, infrastructure, first responders, U.S. military and more. CMT is also aiming to highlight stories of "unsung heroes who have done exceptional things for their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic." Previously announced performers include Brandi Carlile, Brothers Osborne, Darius Rucker, Florida Georgia Line, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt, Tim McGraw and Thomas Rhett, with cameos from Carrie Underwood, Kristen Bell and Lauren Daigle. Participating celebrities will share tributes, callouts, and performances all filmed from their own homes and virtually produced by CMT.

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(Photo: CMT)

CMT's Artists of the Year traditionally takes place in the fall and honors some of the most successful country music artists from the previous year at an event in Nashville but is using this special to highlight COVID-19 heroes who are helping their communities. The broadcast will air on the first Wednesday in June, which is typically the evening the CMT Awards take place. This year's awards have been moved to Oct. 14 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The 'CMT Artists of the Year' franchise has always been reflective of the important issues of our time, and this year, we all felt it necessary to shift our focus to honoring the real heroes during these unprecedented times," Leslie Fram, Senior Vice President of Music & Talent, CMT, said in a statement. "From the first responders and healthcare workers to members of the military, our educators, food industry workers and so many more, the country music community will come together to honor these heroic men and women. The evening of unity will feature incredible performances, uplifting tributes and a salute to those risking their lives on the frontlines of this crisis." CMT Celebrates Our Heroes: An Artists of the Year Special will air Wednesday, June 3 at 8 p.m. ET on CMT.

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