Fans Say This Singer Deserved to Win ‘Female Artist of the Year’ at 2025 ACM Awards

Lainey Wilson has done it again, collecting several coveted awards at this year's Academy of Country Music Awards. However, fans feel one other artist was snubbed in light of the "Wildflowers and Wild Horses" singer's wins.

The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards kicked off Thursday evening on May 8, 2025, at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. The prestigious event was hosted by Reba McEntire and boasted a long list of A-listers in attendance.

Lainey Wilson was among the performers and top nominees of the evening. Out of the six categories she received a nod for, Wilson took home four awards, including Artist/Songwriter of the Year, Album of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, and Female Artist of the Year.

The ACM official Instagram account shared a clip of her acceptance speech when she received the Female Artist of the Year award. "I just want to say to every single one of these girls in this category, I couldn't do this without y'all," she said.

However, despite Wilson's win, many online felt singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini was snubbed. Ballerini had also been nominated for Female Artist of the Year, as well as Entertainer of the Year and Music Event of the Year.

Fans took to social media to voice their frustrations. "Kelsea getting overlooked every year is so wild," one disgruntled viewer wrote. "Dang!! It's Kelsea's turn!!" another echoed the sentiment.

"@kelseaballerini is my entertainer of the year!!" a fan declared. "It is crazy how much Kelsea gets overlooked at awards. Instead it is the same people that win for years then it moves to the next person," a commenter noted. "@kelseaballerini deserved this," another said.