'90s country singer Sammy Kershaw, known for "She Don't Know She's Beautiful," posted last Thursday that the Country Music Association had turned down his request to walk the CMA Awards red carpet with his wife, Mendy. He said the CMA kept him waiting for months and only told him no two weeks before the show. His manager said Kershaw didn't meet the CMA's "updated criteria" and could buy tickets for about $800 each instead. Singer Rodney Atkins said Saturday that the CMA denied him and his wife too. On Monday, the CMA said it was "deeply sorry anyone felt excluded" and that it's in touch with Kershaw's team. Kershaw isn't planning to attend. The show airs on ABC on Nov. 18.

Kershaw Earned His Spot, and the Apology Falls Short

Country stars old and new say Kershaw earned his place and the CMA's statement dodges the problem.

Kershaw earned a few minutes on that carpet. He's a lifetime CMA member with more than two dozen charting hits, and he says he's walked the carpet before. Country singer Riley Green wrote, "If you haven't earned the right to be there then nobody has." Singer Drew Baldridge offered Kershaw his own spot. Singer Meghan Patrick asked why the CMA lets "zero talent influencers" walk but not Kershaw.

The CMA is celebrating the '90s while shutting out the '90s stars. This year's show is set to celebrate the decade, and CMA CEO Sarah Trahern told Billboard, "You can't get hotter than the '90s now." Mark Chesnutt, another '90s star, wrote that the CMA "doesn't care about us old 90s guys any more." Stella Parton, Dolly Parton's sister, said older artists get "relegated to the back of the line" and that it's "nothing new."

The apology says nothing. Singer Jake Owen called it "a lot of words saying nothing" and asked why the CMA took four days to write it. He said the CMA should have said, "sorry Sammy.. we messed up." Tim Rushlow, the former Little Texas lead singer, called it "as lame as it looks and sounds."

But a TV Red Carpet Can't Fit Everyone

The CMA and some critics say space is limited, and one exception would bring back every artist it turned down.

The carpet has limits, and the CMA got too many requests. The CMA says it set carpet criteria "to help manage limited space" and to keep artists and media secure. Kershaw's own manager said the CMA got "an overwhelming number of artist requests." Rolling Stone reported it's unclear whether Kershaw would even qualify under last year's rules.

Letting Kershaw in would bring back every artist the CMA turned down. Trigger, who writes the blog Saving Country Music, wrote that the CMA is in a tough spot. He said that if the CMA made an exception for Kershaw, every other artist it turned down could come back asking. He suggested a tiered carpet like the Grammys and Oscars use. He also said the CMA's silence made things worse.

Still, the Bigger Snub Is Who Didn't Get Nominated

Some critics say the fight over a few minutes of carpet ignores who's missing from the show.

Not one Black artist got a nomination this year. Rolling Stone pointed out that the show has no Black nominees. It said the CMA follows country radio's lead, and country radio barely plays Black artists. When nominations came out in September, Nashville Scene music editor Stephen Trageser noted "no love" for The War and Treaty or Shaboozey, two prominent Black country acts.

The night should be about Dolly and this year's music. Dolly Parton died in August at 80. Holler writer Georgette Brookes wrote that the night should honor Parton and this year's music, not fights over who is "country enough."

Where This Lands

Kershaw, Atkins and their supporters say the CMA shut out the artists it claims to celebrate. Jake Owen and Tim Rushlow say Monday's apology changes nothing. The CMA says its carpet has limited room, and Saving Country Music says one exception would bring every rejected artist back. Rolling Stone says the bigger problem is that no Black artist got nominated at all. The CMA says it's talking with Kershaw's team, but it hasn't said whether it'll let him walk on Nov. 18. Robert's Western World, a Nashville honky-tonk, has offered Kershaw a red carpet of its own that night.

Sources