Sammy Kershaw claims CMA Awards won’t let him on red carpet; Rodney Atkins makes similar claims

Country star Sammy Kershaw won’t be on the red carpet at the CMA Awards, and he said it wasn’t something that he decided not to do.

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He said on social media he had requested to walk the red carpet with his wife, but that request was denied, People magazine reported.

“Well, I just found out some disappointing news and it really hurts me. I have to share my disappointment with the CMA as they have denied my request to walk the red carpet for a few minutes at this year’s CMA Awards, and I have to say I’m pretty sad about it.”

He said he and his wife don’t typically get to go to events such as these due to being on tour and scheduling conflicts, but added that he changed flights and hotels to make sure he could attend the Nov. 18 ceremony.

He wasn’t the only one denied the spot on the red carpet.

Rodney Atkins also said the same thing happened to him, American Songwriter reported.

Writing on social media, “Well, apparently Sammy Kershaw and I got something in common this year. Neither one of us got approved to walk the CMA Awards red carpet,” Atkins shared. “When I heard about Sammy, I thought, ‘What a shame. He’s a great guy. Sweetheart of a dude. Singing dude spent his life representing country music.’ Then I found out the same thing happened to me.”

Atkins and his wife will not attend the ceremony because they were denied red carpet clearance, according to American Songwriter.

The Country Music Association released a statement on Monday which said, “Like any major televised event, the red carpet has criteria that exists to help manage limited space and the security needs for both the artists and the media. We are deeply sorry anyone felt excluded by those decisions.”

The organization said it was in contact with Kershaw’s team.