The 2023 People’s Choice Country Awards honored Toby Keith with the County Icon Award, and the singer-songwriter delivered a heartfelt acceptance speech. After being given his award from fellow Oklahoman country singer Blake Shelton, Keith joked, “I bet you never thought y’all’d see me in skinny jeans.” This seems to be a reference to weight loss stemming from his stomach cancer battle.
“I want to thank the Almighty for allowing me to be here tonight, he’s been riding shotgun with me for a little while now,” Keith continued, then going on to praise his family for their support. “I want to thank my beautiful family that’s here,” he said. “A lot of people go in and make a career like this of 30 years.” After thanking many of the people on his team, Keith said, “Most of all. I want to thank the fans for still allowing us to do what we do. Have a wonderful evening, thank you!” The singer then went on to perform a tear-jerking rendition of “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
The big award show honor comes roughly a year after Keith revealed that doctors had diagnosed him with cancer. “Last fall I was diagnosed with stomach cancer,” Keith wrote in a June 2022 tweet. “I’ve spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery. So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax.” The “Beer for My Horses” singer added, “I am looking forward to spending time with my family. But I will see the fans sooner than later. I can’t wait.”
Keith later made a surprise performance in November 2022, marking his first time playing to a crowd since his cancer diagnosis. Billboard reported that the country music superstar sang a few songs at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse in Lexington, Kentucky. Keith was visiting the city for the 2022 Breeder’s World Cup Championship event, which was held at Keeneland Race Course.
Initially, Keith had some concerts scheduled for the summer and fall of 2022, but those were postponed, per a rep who spoke with Billboard. The outlet also reported that the performing rights organization BMI was set to honor Keith’s many songwriting credits by awarding him with the 2022 BMI Icon honor. This was one year after the singer was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, honored with the Academy of Country Music’s Merle Haggard Spirit Award, and was also honored with the National Medal of Arts.
