- - Morgan Wallen Takes Dig at Awards Shows Before Surprise Duet With Ella Langley

Melinda LorgeNovember 9, 2025 at 2:03 AM

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Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Ella Langley invited a very special guest out to the stage during night two of her sold-out show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday, Nov. 7. The female country powerhouse, 26, brought out Morgan Wallen to tackle Jason Isbell’s captivating 2013 song “Cover Me Up.”

Before announcing their live duet performance, Langley addressed the crowd as seen in the TikTok video below.

She said, “I’ve played this venue once. I’ve always wanted to headline it. So tonight is such a dream come true for me.”

“A couple of other artists have played here that I’m such a fan of, Mr. Jason Isbell is one of them, for sure. We gotta love our Alabama people,” she continued. “I’ve been singing this song of his for so long. It’s one of my favorites, and I figured there ain’t no better person to come out and help me with this one than Mr. Morgan Wallen tonight!”

Wallen, 32, approached the stage to a thunderous applause with Langley noting that she had tried to "convince” him to "sing this song with me for so long.”

“Honestly, it’s taken two whole tours to do this,” she added, to which Wallen replied. “Yeah. It takes me a lot more than an award show to get me out on Broadway these days. I’ll tell you that.”

Morgan Wallen Has Had a Controversial History With Award Shows

The East Tennessee native’s response, which appeared to be a shot at award shows, comes just days before the 59th annual CMA Awards are set to take over Nashville. And while Wallen currently reigns as the CMA Entertainer of the Year, and is also nominated again in the category this year, he has had a controversial history with awards shows, having earned a reputation for skipping out on them in the past following a brief period where he was either banned or disqualified from eligibility and involvement at them, including the American Music Awards in 2021, as it was reported by The Wrap that his "conduct does not align with our core values."

At the Mother Church of Country Music, however, he didn’t go into further detail about his decisions on whether or not he will participate in “Country Music’s Biggest Event” when it kicks off at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Instead, he and Langley launched into “Cover Me Up” earning cheers from the audience, and turning the evening into a magical moment.

Several Country Artists Made Guest Appearances at Ella Langley’s Two-Night Run of Shows

Wallen wasn’t the only artist to join Langley onstage during her finale show at the Ryman Auditorium, which served as a closer to her Still Hungover Tour. During the concert, Gretchen Wilson, Hardy, Kaitlin Butts, and Mae Estes all made an appearance. Those who missed out on the concert can experience Langley’s sold-out Ryman finale with the complete Night 2 performance streaming exclusively now on Veeps.

Related: Country Music Star Discusses Taking a Break From Music: ‘I Hadn’t Really Spoken a Lot About It’

This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 9, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”