Garth Brooks To Make Hosting Debut Alongside Dolly Parton At The ACM Awards

Country music icons, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks will co-host the 58th Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards on Thursday, May 11 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

This will be Brooks' first time hosting an award show in his career and Parton's second time hosting the ACM Awards after she hosted last year's event alongside Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett.

“All I hope that we do as a pair is represent [country music] well,” Brooks told Billboard. “I mean, you’ve got your foundation and what you’re looking for here,” he says, gesturing to Parton seated beside him. “You’ve got talent and class. Let’s represent country music the best that we can.”

“We are excited about this because we’ve always wanted to do something together,” Parton added. “We’ve always admired each other musically and as people and how we handle our business. So, this is a great thrill for me. I think the fans are going to enjoy seeing us together, ‘cause Lord knows he’s got fans and I got a few.”

Parton will also premiere the lead single from her upcoming rock album on the show.

According to event organizers, the award show will celebrate country music’s biggest stars and emerging talent with performances and collaborations streamed to fans worldwide.

This year marks the award show's return to Texas for the first time since the 50th ACM Awards. The 2015 show saw more than 70,000 attendees at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, breaking a Guinness World Record for being the most-attended awards show.

The Academy of Country Music Awards were established in 1966, and it is the longest-running country music awards show. The show made history in 2022 as the first major awards ceremony to exclusively live stream in partnership with Prime Video.

“The ACM Awards is the world’s biggest and most ground-breaking country music awards show and the only one to stream live across the globe thanks to our partners at Prime Video, so there is no host pairing more appropriate than music’s most iconic global superstars, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks,” said Academy of Country Music CEO and ACM Awards executive producer Damon Whiteside.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring this legendary pair together for the first time ever as ‘Country Music’s Party of the Year’ heads to the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters. From exclusive superstar performances to unexpected collaborations to the industry’s most exciting emerging talent, fans are in for an unforgettable night that can only be seen on the ACM Awards stage!”

The 58th Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions, with Raj Kapoor, Barry Adelman and Fonda Anita serving as executive producers and Damon Whiteside serving as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music.

Nominees, performers, and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.