Lady A, Rascal Flatts, Jenee Fleenor Are Latest to Pull Out of CMA Awards Due to COVID-19 (Updated)

UPDATED: Three more artists who were scheduled to perform of the CMA Awards announced having to pull out of the show either shortly before or after the broadcast started, all due to COVID-19 concerns. Just an hour prior to showtime, Lady A announced it was exiting the show, soon followed by another star trio, Rascal Flatts, as well as a featured instrumentalist, Jenee Fleenor, a CMA musician of the year winner who had been slated to play the fiddle solo in the opening salute to Charlie Daniels.

They became the third, fourth and fifth acts to be forced to cancel their appearances on the CMAs. In the days leading up to the show, both Lee Brice and Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard announced they had tested positive for coronavirus.

Lady A said in its social media statement that none of the three members have received a positive coronavirus diagnosis, but said an unnamed family member contracting the disease prompted the need to pull out.

Rascal Flatts put its MIA status down to having “received a positive COVID test within the band,” without specifying whether that meant among the three core members or their backing band.

Fleenor said that she had tested positive in the run-up to the show. Viewers noticed that she had been replaced in the Daniels medley by Dierks Bentley’s fiddle player before seeing she had confirmed the reason for her absence on social media.

“Sadly, one of our immediate family members has just tested positive for COVID-19 this week,” Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) said in Instagram and Twitter posts. “So far, the three of us continue to test negative, and out of caution and love for everyone involved with the CMAs, we’ve decided to stay home from the awards tonight. We’re bummed that we won’t be able to perform with Darius Rucker and Thomas Rhett, but luckily Charles already taped his performance with Carly Pearce so you will still be seeing him take the stage! We’ll be cheering on our friends at home like the rest of y’all! Stay safe out there.”

Charles Kelley will be seen, as indicated in the statement, performing a pre-recorded duet with Pearce of “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” the song she was supposed to sing with Brice before he had to depart the show.

There was no immediate word on how the gospel number that Hillary Scott was supposed to sing with Rucker and Rhett would be affected.

The number that Florida Georgia Line had been scheduled to perform was replaced with the addition of a song by Chris Stapleton earlier this week.

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