Thomas Rhett Was One Of Many Country Stars Who Took The Stage At The 2026 ACM Awards
The 61st ACM Awards were held on May 17, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Country icon Shania Twain served as host.
Not only was the night filled with your favorite artists being honored for their work over the past year, but it was also packed with live performances from some of country’s biggest superstars.
Viewers saw Riley Green perform his song “Change My Mind,” while Lainey Wilson debuted her new single “Can’t Sit Still.”
Other artists who performed during the night included: Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Kane Brown, Ella Langley, Zach Top, Dan + Shay, Carter Faith, The Red Clay Strays, and Jordan Davis.
Ahead of the big event, some performance details were confirmed, while others were kept under wraps. So, most of the time, fans had no idea what to expect, which led to plenty of exciting surprises throughout the night.
One artist who really wowed the crowd was Thomas Rhett, who took the stage to perform “Ain’t a Bad Life” alongside Jordan Davis.
Even though Rhett was not nominated in any category this year, he knows exactly what it feels like to be an ACM Awards winner.
Rhett has earned eight ACM Awards throughout his career, including major wins such as Entertainer of the Year in 2020 and Male Artist of the Year four times (2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021). He also took home Single and Song of the Year back in 2016.
Watch Thomas Rhett & Jordan Davis’ ACM Awards Performance
Rhett and Davis released their duet “Ain’t a Bad Life” in September 2025 as the lead single from the deluxe edition of Rhett’s seventh studio album, About a Woman.
The pair took the stage and immediately got the crowd energized as the third performance of the night.
Fans danced and sang along while Rhett and Davis both played guitar, belting out the song’s lyrics together.
At one point, they went to the side stage, where fans were standing. Those lucky people got an up close view of the two country stars!
You can watch Thomas Rhett and Jordan Davis’ ACM Awards performance below.