CMA Awards: Carrie Underwood Fans Are Speechless After Garth Brooks Wins CMA Entertainer of the Year Instead of Her

Carrie Underwood fans are beside themselves after Garth Brooks took home the CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year over her. The final prize of the night of the 53rd Annual CMA Awards went to the country music veteran, marking a record seventh win in the category. Brooks took home the hardware over Underwood, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban, and many of Underwood’s fans were annoyed that the most coveted award went to Brooks on a night that was seemingly all about female artistry.

Country music journalist Ann Powers was one of the many to voice their outrage, taking to Twitter to say, “No. F— no. I mean I love Garth, really I do. But THIS WAS CARRIE’S YEAR. COME ON.”

She followed that up with a few more thoughts, writing that she had “nothing against Garth, who earns his legend status again and again. But how do you center a woman-focused show around [Carrie Underwood] when she’s not getting that award? Someone explain.”

“Carrie Underwood should’ve won entertainer of the year. Garth Brooks had his run and he’s done in my book,” one Twitter user wrote.

“No way Garth!!!!! That deserved to go to Carrie!!!!! #CMAawards,” someone else said.

“HOW THE F— DID GARTH TAKE IT FROM CARRIE TWICE,” another wrote.

Another music journalist, Lorie Liebig, voiced her concern, writing that Brooks “should have talked about Carrie and THE WHOLE THING ABOUT WOMEN BEING THE FOCAL POINT OF THE SHOW.”

During his acceptance speech, Brooks paused to admire a performance earlier in the night from Reba McEntire, who with Dolly Parton guest-hosted the event with Underwood. Brooks also highlighted Kelsea Ballerini‘s earlier performance as well as one from Luke Combs, who won Male Vocalist of the Year. “This [Entertainer of the Year] has got your name on it in the future, hoss,” he said to Combs.

Combs’ multi-week chart-topper “Beautiful Crazy” earned him and his co-writers Song of the Year earlier in the broadcast. While accepting Male Vocalist of the Year, his first, Combs said, “This is pretty unbelievable stuff. I remember sitting on my parents’ porch when I was a little kid and watching Vince Gill come up here and win this same award.”

Elsewhere, Kacey Musgraves picked up her first Female Vocalist of the Year win, having won the Album of the Year prize at the 2018 CMAs for Golden Hour. “Words can’t express just how meaningful and truly unbelievable this past couple years have been,” she said during her speech, which she also used to highlight female artistry in country music.

“But ultimately I just want to say that I feel that the female creative spirit and female energy is really needed right now, it’s really important, I feel like it’s something that Earth needs,” she said.

Click here for PopCulture.com’s full CMA Awards coverage.

Photo credit: Taylor Hill / Contributor / Getty