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Maren Morris skips the 2022 CMAs red carpet after saying she wasn’t ‘comfortable’

November 10, 2022

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 10: Maren Morris attends the Country Music Association’s 55th Annual Awards at Bridgestone Arena on November 10, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Jason Kempin/Getty Maren Morris

She may be up for one of the biggest awards of the night, but Maren Morris opted out of the red carpet at the 2022 CMA Awards.

After an interview in September with the Los Angeles Times in which the country star expressed his discomfort with the annual awards show, fans had wondered if Morris, 32, would perform at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday night. His last album, humble questis nominated for album of the year.

She and her husband Ryan Hurd arrived just in time for the album of the year category. After Luke Combs won the award, Morris gave his compatriot a standing ovation and then left the room.

Morris then gave fans a glimpse of her outfit in a cheeky video shared on Twitter that showed her strutting down a hallway with a bottle of Dom Pérignon in her hands to the tune of Taylor Swift’s “Karma.”

“BYOB, CMA,” she captioned the post, adding a “cheers” emoji.

During his conversation with the TimeMorris, 32, said she had mixed feelings about attending the CMAs and said she often felt “uncomfortable” at such events.

“Honestly, I haven’t decided if I’m going to go,” she said at the time. “I’m very honored to have my record nominated. But I don’t know if I feel [at] at home there right now. So many people I love will be in this room, and maybe I’ll make a decision at game time and leave. But at the moment, I don’t feel comfortable going.”

RELATED VIDEO: Maren Morris & Cassadee Pope Call Out Jason Aldean’s Wife Over Transphobic Comment: ‘Real Nice’

She continued, “I think I was sadder last year. Some nights are fun. Others I’m just getting out of my skin. I’m not good at these events because I’m awkward. But this time, I kind of feel at peace about not going.”

Check out PEOPLE’s full CMAs coverage for the latest on country music’s biggest night

The CMAs discussion came just weeks after the ‘Circles Around This Town’ singer publicly slammed Brittany Kerr Aldean – the wife of country star Jason Aldean – for making a transphobic comment in an Instagram video amid of an ongoing debate and effort to restrict access to gender-affirming care.

“I would really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girl life,” Brittany captioned a makeup reveal video in September.

RELATED: Maren Morris Embraces ‘Lunatic Country Music Person’ Title as She Steps into Meme Halloween Costume

Maren Morris during the second night of the iHeartRadio Music Festival

Christopher Polk/Getty Maren Morris

Morris responded on Twitter, “Is it so easy, like, not to be a human bastard? Sell your clips and compress them, Barbie Insurrection.”

The swap sparked further back and forth between Morris, Brittany, and other stars like Cassadee Pope, Lindsay Ell, and more. The person.”

RELATED: Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Kelly Clarkson and More to Perform at the 2022 CMA Awards

Morris, in turn, plastered the phrase on t-shirts and sold them to fans, ultimately raising over $150,000 for the Trans Lifeline and GLAAD’s Transgender Media program.

The 2022 CMAs hosted by Luke Bryan air live Wednesday night from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.