Having won the coveted title seven times to date, the 'Friends in Low Places' crooner shares his belief that 2020 may be Carrie Underwood's year to take home the accolade.
- Jul 30, 2020
AceShowbiz - Superstar Garth Brooks is urging Country Music Association officials to drop him from consideration for the 2020 Entertainer of the Year title after winning the honour seven times to date.
The "Friends in Low Places" hitmaker claimed his latest prize in November (19), marking the third time in four years he has walked away with the accolade.
However, Brooks admits the criticism he faced online for dominating the top category once again irked him, and now he wants to make way for another generation of country artists to have a chance at landing the coveted award.
In an online press conference on Wednesday (July 29), he said, "We feel very lucky with seven."
Touching on the backlash he received on social media after his 2019 win, he explained, "It made winning Entertainer of the Year not that fun, to tell you the truth."
Brooks insists he is always appreciative of the accolades bestowed upon him for his work, but he wants to share the spotlight with others, and he believes 2020 may be Carrie Underwood's year to take home the prestigious award.
If she does, the singer will become the first female to land Entertainer of the Year since 2011.
However, Brooks will have to appeal to CMA industry voters not to nominate him for the prize, as organisation bosses have declared: "The long-standing CMA Awards rules do not allow individuals to remove themselves from the balloting process at any point."
It remains to be seen if Brooks will end up on the 2020 ballot, as the first round of voting has already been completed, with the second of three nominations forms due to be sent to voters on Friday.
The annual ceremony typically takes place in Nashville, Tennessee in November, but plans for the 2020 show have yet to be revealed in light of continued coronavirus concerns.
