CMT Music Awards’ Retrospective Special Set to Fill Gap While Annual Awards Show is Being ‘Reimagined’

CMT will air a 90-minute special, CMT Music Awards: Ultimate Party Edition, on Thursday, July 17 at 9 p.m. ET. The special, hosted by CMT’s Cody Alan, will help keep the award show’s name alive during a period when the show is on hiatus.

The special features new sit-downs with Carrie Underwood, the top winner in the show’s history; past hosts Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town and Jason Aldean; as well as Blake Shelton, Cody Johnson, Cole Swindell, Darius Rucker, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson and Luke Bryan, looking back on their most memorable appearances on the show.

Fans will vote for the Ultimate Fan Favorite Performance from July 11-14 via @CMT Facebook and Instagram Stories, with the winning moment revealed inside the special’s premiere.

“It’s been amazing to go back deep into our archives and re-live some of the show’s most iconic moments – and do it alongside the superstar artists that made them happen,” shared Margaret Comeaux, svp, production for CMT. “It was also essential for us to nod to the show’s history as country’s first fan-voted award show by putting the power back in the hands of our fans to help us choose the ultimate fan-favorite moment.”

Additional airings of CMT Music Awards: Ultimate Party Edition will occur on Thursday, July 17 at 10:30 p.m. ET (immediate encore) and Saturday, July 19 at 12p.m. ET on CMT, with subsequent airings on CMT Music to be announced at a later date.

Comeaux and John Hamlin (Switched on Entertainment) are executive producers of the special. Jackie Barba is executive-in-charge of production. Yasmin Mohammed is supervising producer. Donna Duncan is talent executive.

Paramount announced in February that the CMT Music Awards would be paused this year. Bruce Gillmer, Paramount Global’s president of music, music talent, programming and events, media networks/chief content officer, music, Paramount+, sent a memo to his staff in which he said, in part: “We are pausing a few events for 2025, as we look to reimagine and optimize our events slate going forward. These include the MTV EMAs, MTV MIAWs, Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Mexico, and CMT Music Awards.”

The memo followed rounds of layoffs that began last year after Paramount Global co-CEO Chris McCarthy noted plans for the company to reduce its U.S.-based workforce by approximately 15%, including at CMT.

The show, originally called the CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards, aired on CMT from 2002-21. It aired on CBS from 2022-24. Ballerini and Kane Brown have been the show’s most frequent hosts in recent years.