Trace Adkins Will Be in His Underwear for the CMA Awards Tonight

With the CMA Awards just hours away, artists are spending the day primping and prepping to look and sound their best for tonight’s show. Trace Adkins tells Taste of Country that he doesn’t want any part of that, revealing that he’ll be skipping the awards show this year.

“I didn’t get nominated for nothin’ and I get tired of being a presenter every year, so I’ll just sit at home in my underwear and watch it on TV,” Adkins says.

The show is a chance for him to prepare for his gig as host of the American Country Awards next month in Las Vegas. It’s his second year hosting the Fox broadcast, and Adkins admits that he watches other awards shows differently now.

“I have a greater appreciation,” he says. “It’s not the easiest thing in the world. It’s not the easiest gig in the world. So I do have a greater appreciation for what they try to do.”

Adkins will co-host the Dec. 5 show with Kristin Chenoweth, who he admits is the physical and emotional opposite of him. Still, the two will work hard to build chemistry, something that’s so important to the success of awards show co-hosts. “The good thing with her is she doesn’t take up much space,” he says. “And if the chemistry is not there, I’m not scared of her.”