CMA Awards 2023 recap: All the biggest wins and epic performances

Lainey Wilson took home the CMA Award for entertainer of the year, the ceremony's top honor, at the end of Wednesday night's show.

"This is all I've ever wanted to do. It's the only thing I know how to do," she said. "It finally feels like country music is starting to love me back. I love it with my whole heart."

Wilson called her experience in the industry so far a "wild" ride, adding, "Thank y'all for letting me be me."

Other nominees in the category included Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood and Morgan Wallen.

Chris Stapleton won the CMA Award for male vocalist of the year.

"Thank you CMAs," Stapleton said. "I've won a couple of these, and I'm always shocked that I win one, and I'm humbled to be here tonight to get to stay in such a wonderful crowd of people. I wanna thank my wife, Morgane, who, I don't do any of this without her -- certainly don't get any of these without her."

Stapleton also thanked his team and said he's "thankful to be part of the country music community."

Other nominees in the category included Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson and Morgan Wallen.

Stapleton also won the award last year. He has now won the CMA Award for male vocalist of the year seven times.

Little Big Town took the stage with legendary country music artist Tanya Tucker to perform her hit song, "Delta Dawn," which she released in 1972 when she was 15

Tucker, now 65, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year.

Singers Hardy and Morgan Wallen got the crowd dancing during their performance of Joe Diffie’s “John Deere Green.”

Post Malone then joined them onstage to sing Diffie’s “Pickup Man,” which the crowd also enthusiastically sang along to.