Wynonna Judd Skips CMA Awards After Controversial 2023 Appearance

After Wynonna Judd‘s performance at the 2023 CMA Awards with Jelly Roll was met with concern from fans, the singer seemingly skipped out on the 2024 awards ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Judd didn’t make an appearance on the red carpet at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., where other big-name country stars like Lainey Wilson and Chris Stapleton gathered to celebrate the genre’s latest releases and biggest stars from this past year. She also did not appear to be in the audience once the annual awards show began.

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At last year’s event, Judd took the stage to sing Jelly Roll’s song “Need A Favor” with him. leaning on the singer and tightly gripping his jacket at the shoulder throughout the song.

While Judd showed off her strong voice in the performance, many fans were concerned about her health after seeing her there, with some calling her behavior “seriously bizarre.”

Judd later shared a video message to the fans who voiced their worries, explaining that it was simply nerves: “I’m just gonna come clean with y’all. I was so freakin’ nervous! I got out there and I looked at Jelly Roll. I wanted it to be so good for him.”

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“I could cry right now, but I’m not going to because I’m such a fan of his and he asked me to sing and I said, ‘Absolutely!’ I got out there and I was SO NERVOUS that I just held on for dear life, and that’s the bottom line,” she concluded. 

Judd doubled down on this in an interview with Parade soon after, saying, “I’ve always gotten nervous, and I think that’s good. Sometimes it’s a lot to handle because people think that I’ve got it all figured out and that’s the scam. But the truth is we’re walking through life just like anybody else.”

At the end of 2022 and during her tour in early 2023, Judd was open about dealing with vertigo on stage. Then, in December 2023, she had to cancel a New Year’s Eve performance with Kelsea Ballerini last minute due to vertigo as well. 

Thankfully, the health struggles didn’t stop Judd, as she has been performing throughout 2024 and has a three-night Las Vegas residency set for Dec. 11, 13 and 14. 

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