On March 5, 1983, Country Music Television made its debut, becoming the first nationally available channel devoted exclusively to country music. Its flagship show, the CMT Hot 20 Countdown, has counted down the week’s 20 hottest country music videos every Saturday and Sunday morning since it initially aired in 2013. Now, less than a year after the CMT Awards took an indefinite hiatus, the channel’s longest-running program will come to an end next month.
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According to a Billboard report Tuesday (Nov. 4) the CMT Hot 20 Countdown will cease production in December after more than a decade on television. Co-hosted by Cody Alan and Carissa Culiner, the Hot 20 Countdown is the only remaining original music program produced by CMT.
Neither Alan nor Culiner has publicly commented on the show’s ending. Joining CMT in 2009, Alan has been with the Hot 20 Countdown since its 2013 inception. Culiner joined the program in spring 2022.
“Anyone who knows me knows about my love for country music and how joining CMT had been a goal since I was in college,” she wrote on Instagram. “Now, this dream is coming true!”
According to Taste of Country, the Hot 20 Countdown will likely air its final episode the weekend of Dec. 26.
[RELATED: Will the Canceled CMT Awards Return in 2026? Here’s Everything We Know]
CMT’s ‘Hot 20 Countdown’ Folds Amid Major Network Shakeup
According to multiple outlets, the shuttering of CMT’s longest-running program is part of a larger shift at Paramount Global, CMT’s parent company. Ali Marszalkowski, senior director of communications; communications manager Justin Permenter; and Mark Thomas, senior director of marketing and creative production have all exited following the company’s August 2025 merger with Skydance Media.
Six months earlier, in February, Paramount announced plans to hit the pause button on several beloved events in 2025. These include the MTV EMAs, MTV MIAWs, Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Mexico, and CMT Music Awards.
In a staff memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Bruce Gillmer, Paramount’s president of music, music talent, programming and events, and media networks; and chief content officer of music at Paramount+, explained that the company is looking “to reimagine and optimize our events slate going forward.”
Featured image by Maggie Friedman/Variety via Getty Images
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