As Cody Johnson was accepting the award for Album of the Year for his 2023 project Leather, he turned the microphone over to his producer Trent Willmon, who appeared to throw shade at New Artist of the Year nominee Shaboozey:

Days after his acceptance speech at the Country Music Awards went viral, Trent Willmon is clearing the air. Just last week, Willmon appeared to have commented about up-and-coming country singer Shaboozey while accepting the CMA for Album of the Year for Cody Johnson’s “Leather.

Fans jumped to social media to defend Shaboozey who is steady climbing the charts while country producers are making insensitive jokes.

It wasn’t the only awkward moment of the night involving Shaboozey either. Earlier in the show, hosts Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning delivered a half-assed tribute to Toby Keith, holding up red solo cups while reading a few words from a teleprompter before quickly using it to segue into an introduction to Shaboozey’s performance:

Cody Johnson’s producer Trent Willmon seemingly shaded Shaboozey at the 2024 CMA Awards. Keep watching to see what he said, how Shaboozey responded and more.

Shout out to Shaboozey for your response to my fumble and having a great sense of humor,” Willmon’s statement reads in part, “Congrats on that 17-Week #1 song!” The com

Cody Johnson’s visibly uncomfortable reaction to his producer's remark only added fuel to the fire, sparking widespread debate across social media

During the awards show earlier this week, as Cody Johnson accepted the Album of the Year trophy for his record Leather, Willmon, who produced the LP, appeared to play off the the

Holding the award in his hands, Willmon addressed Johnson, who stood directly behind him, and said, "I got to tell ya, this is for this cowboy who has been kicking Shaboozey for a lot of years, Cody Johnson.