Country Music's Biggest Night Honors Unsung Heroes

The 2025 ACM Honors ceremony, held on August 20th in Nashville, celebrated the unsung heroes of country music. The event, which typically takes place at the historic Ryman Auditorium, was held at the newly constructed Pinnacle venue this year.

Carly Pearce returned as the host, joined by Russell Dickerson and up-and-coming artist Tucker Wetmore. The ceremony honored several industry icons who had passed away in the last year, including Brandon Blackstock, Jeannie Seely, Connie Francis, and Mike Borchetta.

The big winners of the night were Eric Church and the late Ben Vaughn, who received the prestigious ACM Icon Award. Church reflected on his early days in North Carolina, while Vaughn was honored posthumously for his decades-long work as a voice for emerging and superstar artists.

Other notable honorees included Luke Combs, who was recognized for his efforts to spread country music internationally, and Jelly Roll, who was awarded the ACM Lifting Lives Award for his philanthropic work. Though Jelly Roll was on tour, he recorded a message encouraging fans to donate to the ACM's Lifting Lives efforts, pledging to match up to $100,000 in donations.

The ceremony featured a star-studded lineup of performers, including Dickerson, Pearce, Chris Janson, Jamey Johnson, and a surprise appearance by HARDY, who paid tribute to Eric Church. The night closed with a rousing performance by Luke Bryan covering Cody Johnson's hit "Til You Can't."