The Most Viral Moments From The 2024 CMT Awards

That's a wrap on another spectacular 2024 CMT Awards, and with a dizzying array of stellar performances, monumental victories and blockbuster surprise announcements, it's safe to say there are plenty of stories, moments and revelations to unpack.

A range of clips from the Austin, Texas extravaganza have already been spreading across social media like wildfire, from Dasha transforming The Moody Center into a full-blown, line-dancing honky-tonk to Jelly Roll and Cody Johnson's endearing bromance.

Although awards shows tend to get some flak nowadays for being out of touch with what people are actually listening to, the CMTs bypass this criticism by being fan-voted.

As well as making the CMTs a fairer reflection of today's tastes, this also paves the perfect foundation for some excitingly unpredictable results when it comes to unveiling the winners.

Coupled with a heavyweight roster of performers including Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, Trisha Yearwood, Brooks & Dunn and more, the 2024 CMT Awards blended together an irresistible recipe for a top-tier celebration of country music.

Whether you were glued to the screen and want to relive some of the highlights from the ceremony, or whether you weren't able to watch and are looking to skip to the best bits, we've got your back. Here are the 10 most viral moments from the 2024 CMT Awards:

This is the year Jelly Roll consolidated his evolution from surprise newcomer into fully-fledged country star, with the Nashville chart-topper picking up the gongs for Male Video of the Year, CMT Performance of the Year and - the big one - Video of the Year. When Jelly cleaned up with three awards at his debut ceremony last year, some skeptics dismissed it as beginner's luck. Now, with another three trophies on his mantelpiece, it's clear Jelly Roll is here to stay - and thank goodness for that.

With the loss of one of the genre's legends, Toby Keith, earlier in the year, CMT organised a touching tribute starring Brooks & Dunn (‘Should've Been A Cowboy’), Lainey Wilson (‘How Do You Like Me Now’) and Sammy Hagar (‘I Love This Bar’), before they all joined forces for a rousing performance of ‘Whiskey For My Men, Beer For My Horses’ and ‘Red Solo Cup’. We're not crying, you are.

Dasha's infectious toe-tapper, ‘Austin’, is seemingly en route to becoming the song of the summer, with the uptempo anthem remaining at the business-end of Spotify's Viral Top 50 chart. During her 2024 CMT Awards performance, the California singer-songwriter showcased why ‘Austin’ has been lighting up TikTok with users trying to recreate the addictive line-dance that accompanies the track. Although not nominated for any awards this year, you can't help but feel Dasha will be gunning for 2025 Breakthrough Female Video of the Year in twelve months’ time.

As a rule of thumb, it's not a proper 2024 awards show if Lainey Wilson isn't performing. During the CMTs, as well as winning Female Video of the Year, the ‘Watermelon Moonshine’ hitmaker wowed the crowd with a high-energy rendition of her new song, ‘Country's Cool Again’. The track pays tribute to the mainstream popularity currently being enjoyed by the genre - and with Lainey playing a key role in making country ‘cool’ again, her CMT set was a striking full-circle moment.

The CMT Awards love an unexpected duet - and, this year, the surprise link-up arrived during Parker McCollum's simmering, brooding rendition of his latest No. 1 single, ‘Burn It Down’, when up-and-coming artist and recent Beyoncé collaborator, Brittney Spencer, emerged on-stage to a resounding chorus of cheers. Parker's charismatic, laid-back croons combined seamlessly with Brittney's intricate, enchanting vocals to make this duet one of the stand-out performances of the night.

After an eye-catching performance of ‘Tennessee Orange’ during last year's CMT Awards, Megan Moroney made her main-stage debut this time around, treating viewers to the worldwide TV premiere of her latest fan-favourite, ‘No Caller ID’. The Georgia native showcased her sinuous, conversational vocals and her dexterous storytelling throughout the performance, with Megan Moroney ensuring the sense of anticipation remains sky-high ahead of her forthcoming album.

Like Dasha, Ashley Cooke and Warren Zeiders have built a formidable presence across social media, with both Cooke and Zeiders proving during the 2024 CMT Awards that their fervent, fast-growing fanbases are not to be underestimated. Ashley Cooke's triumph with ‘your place’ was well-deserved, and Warren Zeiders’ victory was made all the more momentous by the fact that he was up against Tyler Childers and Zach Bryan, two of the biggest names in the genre.

Jelly Roll is the kind of guy who exudes joy and congeniality regardless of the setting - but for some reason, when he's at an awards show, he automatically becomes the most adorable person in the room. He helped create one of the sweetest moments of the night when, after it was announced that he'd won yet another award, he immediately turned to his good buddy CoJo and the two shared a warm embrace. Cody even kissed his friend on the cheek, with Jelly returning the favour. During the latter's acceptance speech for Male Video of the Year, he paid tribute to Cody Johnson's visuals for ’The Painter’, stressing, “First of all, my brother Cody Johnson's ‘The Painter’, that was one of the best music videos I've ever seen in my entire life. That's my brother in real life, I love you Cody Johnson’. Last year, they teamed up for ‘Whiskey Bent’ on Cody's record, Leather, and we're drafting up a petition for a collaboration album as we speak.

Shortly before the 2024 CMT Awards got underway, the news broke that Kelsea Ballerini would be stepping down as host, with this year marking her fourth and final time at the helm. With the artist behind Rolling Up The Welcome Mat having become the face of the CMTs in recent times, the announcement that this was her last rodeo in Austin gave the show a bittersweet sheen.

Hold onto your hats - Trisha Yearwood is back, and it seems she's got new music on the way. As she debuted the beautifully drawn-in ‘Put It in a Song’ during the CMT Awards against an atmospheric backdrop of finely scrawled lyrics, Trisha whetted fans’ appetites ahead of her rumoured upcoming album. Elsewhere during the ceremony, the ‘She's in Love with the Boy’ hitmaker received the first ever June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award, in honour of her charity work with Habitat for Humanity, the Stanford Women's Cancer Center, the Humane Society, the American Cancer Society and more. A true icon, in every sense of the word.

For more on the 2024 CMT Awards, see below: