Kelsea Ballerini And Anthony Mackie Will Host 2022 CMT Music Awards

This year, the CMT Music Awards is coming back with all the star power. The show will be hosted by country singer Kelsea Ballerini and the new Captain America actor, Anthony Mackie. This is Ballerini's second year on her hosting duties while Mackie is on his hosting debut.

The country star has received two Grammy nominations in her career. She has also taken home two ACM Awards and two CMA Awards, with various nominations from each. In addition, Ballerini was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2019 and became the youngest member in its almost century-long history.

Mackie, on his part, is no spring chicken. The actor was nominated for several awards, including two Critics Choice Super Awards for the Best Actor category and two Golden Derby nominations. Mackie previously presented the Video of the Year award on the CMT stage in 2021.

Ballerini and Mackie were recently chosen as the hosts for the next country music award show. The 2022 CMT Awards will take place in Nashville on April 11. This is Ballerini's second time hosting the award show after her 2021 hosting debut with Kane Brown.

Although this is Marvel actor Mackie's first time as an award show host, he isn't new to the CMT stage. The new Captain America actor previously presented the popular Video of the Year award in 2021 to Carrie Underwood.

In a statement that included CMT's press release, Ballerini talked about how excited she was to give the hosting job another go. She said, "I'm thrilled to be returning as host at this year's CMT Awards with Anthony Mackie! This award show is always a special one, as it revolves around the fans and celebrates their favorite artists.

In an earlier interview with Entertainment Tonight, the country singer talked about her co-host Mackie, describing him as "cool" and "kind." "I am hosting with Anthony Mackie, who is so cool, so kind," she said. "I met him last year, and I'm just excited. It's like such a party, and I'm excited to be all up in it!"

Mackie is equally excited about his role as a host. In a statement, the actor said, "I had the pleasure presenting at last year's CMT Music Awards and received the warmest welcome from the counter music community and the city of Nashville. I can't wait to get back to Music City to co-host this year's awards with the amazing Kelsea Ballerini."

The nominees for the CMT award show will be announced on Wednesday, March 16, around the same time the floor will be open for fan voting. The CMT Music Awards is the only country music award show where the fans have a say in the winners.

The awards show will release some bonus content, including the CMT Music Awards Extended Cut. It will have around 30 minutes of "new performances and extra bonus content" released on April 15 on CMT. However, the performers haven't been announced yet. The award ceremony will air live on Monday, April 11, from 8 p.m. to 11 p. m. ET on CBS.

This was announced three days after Ballerini appeared in the Academy of Country Music Award show. She performed a duet with the show host, Dolly Parton. The ACMs ran on CBS through 2021 but will soon be replaced by the CMTs. In a statement, the award show was described as "Paramount's signature country music tent pole."

Prior to this year, all the CMT Award shows were hosted mainly by figures in the country music sector. The previous show hosts include Kane Brown, Ashley McBryde, Brittany Snow, Pamela Anderson, Sarah Hyland, Kristen Bell, and Kathy Najimy.

According to Variety, the executive producers, John Hamlin, Margaret Comeaux, and Leslie Fram, all talked about their reason for pairing Mackie with Ballerini. They revealed that they felt like the duo would be "the perfect pairing" and couldn't "pass up the opportunity."

"We couldn't pass up the opportunity to pair one of the biggest names in country music with one of the world's most electrifying superheroes to host our biggest CMT Music Awards ever," the group said.

The producers added that they thought the entertainers were successful on their own. Still, if brought together, their star power could go past the spheres of music, film, and pop culture combined. "We know this dynamic duo is the perfect pairing to bring our show to the next level as we reach our largest global audience ever live on CBS," they continued.