Beyoncé’s absence from the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards nominations has sparked conversation, despite her recent Grammy wins for Album of the Year and Best Country Album for Cowboy Carter.

The snub is not unprecedented, as Beyoncé was also overlooked by the 2024 CMA Awards.

Her country album Cowboy Carter was a chart-topper in 2024, and her Grammy wins solidified her country music credentials.

Beyoncé made history as the first Black woman to win the Best Country Album Grammy.

Several songs from the album, including Texas Hold ‘Em, Levii’s Jeans (featuring Post Malone), 16 Carriages, and II MOST WANTED (featuring Miley Cyrus), received Grammy nominations.

ACM CEO Damon Whiteside addressed the snub, saying, “Were we hoping she’d be nominated? Absolutely… We love that Beyoncé is in the country genre.” Whiteside extended an “open invitation” for Beyoncé to perform on the ACM stage.

Some argue that Beyoncé’s limited presence in the country music scene is a factor in her lack of nominations.

However, others point out that Post Malone, also a newcomer to country music, received multiple nominations for his album F-1 Trillion.

Last year, Luke Bryan weighed in on the discussion, suggesting that Beyoncé’s lack of involvement with the country music community might be a reason for her snub.

“Everybody loved that Beyoncé made a country album. Nobody’s mad about it… But where things get a little tricky — if you’re gonna make country albums, come into our world and be country with us a little bit.”

Bryan later clarified his comments, stating, “I respect Beyonce and I love how loyal her fans are. I spend a lot of time supporting other artists. I want everyone to win. Love yall.”

Kelly Clarkson also expressed confusion over Beyoncé’s CMA Awards snub, saying, “I kind of find it fascinating… because I feel like those songs were everywhere.”

Beyoncé has spoken about facing criticism and not feeling “welcomed” in the country music space, which motivated her to create Cowboy Carter.

“It was very clear that I wasn’t… But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive.”