Universally Beloved Country Singer to Host 2022 Academy of Country Music Awards

One award show that will not have to worry about a hosting controversy is next month’s Academy of Country Music Awards. On Thursday, the ACMs, Prime Video, and show producer MRC named the universally beloved Dolly Parton as the host for the 57th ACM Awards. It is a big win for Amazon’s Prime Video, as the show will only be available exclusively on the streaming platform.

The two-hour show will stream live without any commercials on Prive Video, starting on Monday, March 7 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. There will be co-hosts, who will be announced later. Nominations for this year’s ceremony will be announced next week.

“I am so excited to be hosting the ACM Awards on March 7 from Vegas. Watch for us because we’re going to have some fun,” Parton said in a statement. The ceremony will air just three days after she releases her new album, Run, Rose, Run. She will also be releasing her novel of the same name, written with James Patterson, on March 7. Parton also scored a nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2022 earlier this week.

“We are honored to welcome Dolly Parton back to be the centerpiece of this landmark 57th Academy of Country Music Awards show at Allegiant Stadium. Dolly is the most iconic and multitalented artist of all time, and we are proud that she is a friend and supporter of the Academy, a previous host, and a 13-time Academy of Country Music Award recipient,” ACM CEO Damon Whiteside said in a statement. “There is no one better than Dolly to represent the ACM Awards brand and country music on a global scale as we move to streaming and show the world that ‘this is how we country’ by delivering one of the most exhilarating and innovative shows in our history to audiences worldwide.”

This year’s ACM Awards will make history as the first major American awards show to be exclusively available on a streaming platform. CBS used to be the home of the ACMs from 1998 until last year when the Academy severed ties with the eye network. CBS will instead air the CMT Music Awards to make up for losing the ACMs. That ceremony is scheduled to air on Monday, April 11, live from Nashville.

Parton has won 13 ACM Awards herself, including Entertainer of the Year in 1978, the Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award, the Jim Reeves International Award, and the Cliff Stone Pioneer Award. She also hosted the 35th anniversary special in 2000. Last year, she released her Christmas album A Holly Dolly Christmas and the book Songteller: My Life in Lyrics. She also recently won an Emmy for Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square. Parton is also beloved for her philanthropic efforts, especially her Imagination Library, which was recognized by the Library of Congress for sending out over 100 million books. She also donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help fund research into COVID-19 vaccines.