Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning collided for the CMA Awards as hosts. The two make quite the pair together and keep things interesting. Far than just being witty, they also took a moment to honor the late great Toby Keith. The hosts raised a red solo cup alongside Lainey Wilson.
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However, not all of the viewers were pleased.
One wrote, "This is an insult to Toby Keith."
Another wrote, "If that is the extent of the tribute to Toby Keith, then @CountryMusic really missed the mark."
But some viewers loved it. So it did have its fans. One wrote, "Paying tribute to Toby Keith by raising a red solo cup in his honor was beautiful!!! I love and miss you, so much Toby!!"
Another wrote, "Even the #CMAawards are paying tribute to the late @tobykeith, even though he wasn't really well received by the CMA stage. No seriously, it's true. I'll tell y'all why another time. And of course, red solo cups had to be the answer for an appropriate salute lol."
Luke Bryan Teams With Peyton Manning for Another Year at The CMA Awards
The CMA Awards aren't the only thing Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning are working on together. They also collaborate to release t's All Country, a docuseries that peels back the curtain between fan and artists. It makes sense why Bryan would be apart of a project like this. But where does Manning come into the picture?
Apparently, it was all Peyton's idea anyway. "When Peyton first came to me about doing this show in our country music space, I loved the idea," Luke tells Billboard in an interview. "I had seen his previous work in the NFL space and knew this could really be special for our fans. It really became such a conversational piece that I don't always have the opportunity to do with my peers."
Peyton comes at this from a genuine place too. It makes a lot of sense why him and Luke Bryan have already collided for the CMA Awards on top of this. Country is Manning's kind of music anyway. "I've always been a huge country music fan. I've had the chance to host the CMA Awards the last few years and I go to as many country concerts as I can, so it was a natural fit to expand into this space and take a swing at producing a show that celebrates country music, like we've done in sports," Manning explains.
