Miranda Lambert Crowned Entertainer of the Year at 2022 ACM Awards: “I’ve Been Waiting For This”

Miranda Lambert picked up the biggest prize of the night, Entertainer of the Year, at the 57th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on March 7.

After revealing Lambert as the winner, Dolly Parton, who co-hosted the awards ceremony with Gabby Barrett and Jimmie Allen, said “Unfortunately, Miranda couldn’t be here tonight because she’s working overseas.”

Accepting the award over video from London, where she’s headlining Country 2 Country on Friday, Lambert said, “Oh my gosh, I cannot believe I’m not there to celebrate.” She added, “This is my first time missing the ACMs in 17 years. My heart is a little broken, but I’m happy to be where I am. I’ve been waiting for this for a really, really long time. I actually never thought it would happen. But thank you so much to the country music family for embracing me all these years and continuing to support me.”

Lambert recently released The Marfa Tapes, a collaborative album with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall that was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Album in 2021. At the ACMs, Lambert picked up five nominations this year and beat out Luke Combs, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, and Chris Stapleton for the Entertainer of the Year win. 

She continued her speech by thanking her manager, the ACMs, and anyone with a dream.

“This one goes out to all the singer-songwriter girls out there that put their blood, sweat, and tears into their guitar strings,” said Lambert. “We did it. This is for us.”

Photo: Amazon Prime