Ella Langley sweeps the ACM Awards, Cody Johnson wins entertainer of the year

Langley's "Choosin' Texas" won song of the year.

May 18, 2026, 11:11 AM

Ella Langley's spring hot streak continued Sunday night when she took home all seven awards she was nominated for, setting the record for most wins in a year by a single artist at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

The staying power of Langley's "Choosin' Texas" proved undeniable once again, as it won both song and single of the year and propelled Langley to succeed Lainey Wilson as female artist of the year.

She was also named artist-songwriter and picked up another trophy with Riley Green for music event of the year for "Don't Mind If I Do." 

Ella Langley accepts the award for Female Artist of the Year onstage during the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Langley ultimately won every category for which she was nominated. 

Lainey Wilson abdicated her entertainer of the year title to first-time winner Cody Johnson, who also grabbed the male artist trophy, after clinching the CMA equivalent in November.

Johnson dedicated his entertainer win to fellow nominee Luke Combs, recalling how Combs has missed the birth of his youngest son, Chet Wiley Combs, while the two were on tour together in Australia. 

Cody Johnson accepts the award for Male Artist of the Year onstage during the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Shania Twain led ACM's big show for the first time, keeping her fashion cred in check with four changes, ranging from an elegant gold gown at the start to a tuxedo-esque black and white number at the end. 

The show delivered plenty of music, with 20 performances in the two-and-a-half-hour show. 

Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town debuted their newest tracks, while Riley Green, Tucker Wetmore, Ella Langley, Kane Brown, Dan + Shay and Parker McCollum all sang their current hits, with Parker reframing "Killin' Me" as a duet with Lee Ann Womack.

Kacey Musgraves delivered "Dry Spell" from her new album, while Blake Shelton played "The Gambler" to close the show as a tribute to its composer, Don Schlitz, who died in April.

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