It should come as no surprise that the 2026 ACM Awards were missing one of the biggest names in country music—Morgan Wallen. Although climbing the charts and dominating the genre, the singer consistently skipped the award show circuit. Caring little about the accolades or the business side of the music industry, Morgan Wallen and HARDY seemed to have their own thoughts about the ACM Awards when the singer asked if they had a “category,” using his common hand gesture.
Having a weekend full of shows on his Country Country Country Tour, HARDY took a moment to share a collage of pictures from the concerts. Taking over Des Moines and Kansas City, some of the pictures showcased the singer flashing the crowd the finger. A common moment at his shows, the singer captioned the post, writing, “They got a category for this?”
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While not directly calling out the ACM Awards, it didn’t take long before fans knew exactly who he was talking about. Especially when Wallen commented on the post, wondering, “Who’s they.”
Fans Create Their Own Category For Morgan Wallen And Hardy
Although Wallen didn’t travel to Las Vegas for the ACM Awards, the organization did nominate him for Album of the Year thanks to I’m the Problem. He was also placed in the Artist-Songwriter of the Year category. And when it came to Entertainer of the Year, the ACM Awards once again placed Wallen among country music’s biggest stars despite his ongoing absence from the ceremony itself.
Not winning Entertainer of the Year, the coveted award went to Cody Johnson. Although holding no animosity toward Johnson or the other nominees, Wallen appeared more focused on life on the road and connecting with fans.
And fans couldn’t agree more, with comments read:
“Who needs ‘them’… just listen to that crowd.”
“Category: Extreme.”
“Changing the whole GAME!”
“They don’t need award shows the fans know their music.”
“Category: Unapologetically Country As Hell”
Even without attending the ACM Awards, Wallen remained one of the biggest topics in country music that night. And judging by the reactions online, many believe Wallen and HARDY are thriving just fine outside the award show spotlight.
(Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for Big Loud)