Did Morgan Wallen + Hardy Just Make a Dig at the ACMs?

Hardy and Morgan Wallen seemed to subtly blast the ACM Awards on social media this week, after the ceremony took place last Sunday (May 17).

Neither star mentioned the show by name, but Hardy shared a recap of photos and videos from one of his shows, and captioned it, "They got a category for this...?"

Interestingly, the first photo from the carousel shows Hardy flipping both middle fingers at the crowd at his show. But it's not uncommon for the country-rocker to make that gesture during shows, so we're not going to make too much of an assumption about whom it was meant for.

In the comments section, Wallen shot back, "Who's they."

Hardy, Instagram

Might seem a little cryptic to the untrained eye, but there's some context that suggests Wallen could have a chip on his shoulder about awards shows in general. And there are some good reasons why Hardy might not feel too chummy about the ACMs, either.

Did Morgan Wallen + Hardy Attend the 2026 ACM Awards?

No. Neither of them were present at this year's ceremony.

Both artists are in the midst of tours, so they could have had schedule conflicts.

Hardy played a Virginia Beach stop on the Country! Country! Country! Tour the day before the ACMs, which took place on May 17. Wallen played back-to-back dates in Florida on May 15 and 16.

But that's not the only reason why they might have skipped the ACMs.

Were Morgan Wallen + Hardy Nominated at the 2026 ACM Awards?

Hardy turned up zero nominations in 2026. His biggest snub was probably in the Artist-Songwriter of the Year category, where he's merited either a nod or a win every year since the category launched in 2023.

Wallen was nominated in three categories at the 2026 awards show, but didn't win any of them.

It's tough to call either of them "snubbed," exactly, since there are plenty of talented artists who've received fewer ACM nominations over the course of their careers. But the love has definitely waned for both of them in recent ceremonies.

Do Morgan Wallen + Hardy Hate Country Music Awards Shows?

"Hate" is a strong word, but Wallen, at least, hasn't made awards shows a priority in nearly three years.

Some fans have theorized that his break from the shows is due to a lingering grudge that dates back to 2021, when he was blacklisted from most country music institutions — including the CMAs and the ACMs — after being caught on camera saying a racist slur.

But Wallen has returned to the CMAs stage twice since his blacklist.

In 2022, he attended the ACM Honors Ceremony to accept the ACM Milestone Award. Hardy also attended that show: He was honored as the ACM Songwriter of the Year.

Jason Kempin, Getty Images

But fast forward to the 2024 CMA Awards, and Wallen's relationship with awards shows seemed frostier.

He won Entertainer of the Year in absentia that year, and completely ignored his win until four months later, when he posted the trophy as part of a social media roundup.

The next year, ahead of the 2025 CMAs, his close friend Ernest told Taste of Country Nights that he thought Lainey Wilson would win the Entertainer category over Wallen. When host Evan Paul wondered if that opinion might upset Wallen, Ernest didn't mince words.

"He don't give a s--t. Since when is Morgan giving a s--t?" Ernest said. "Who's making more money doing this than Morgan Wallen? He doesn't give a f--k about this award. I wouldn't either if I was Morgan Wallen."

30 Best Morgan Wallen Songs Every Fan Should Know by Heart

You'll find largely singles in this Top 30 countdown of Morgan Wallen's best songs and biggest hits. But we've scattered in a few songs found deep within Wallen's three albums, If I Know Me and his record-breaking double albums Dangerous and One Thing At a Time.

We've even included a few early favorites from his 2025 project, I'm the Problem.