ACMAs viewers slam hard to watch Lainey Wilson | TV Shows

The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards kicked off on Sunday, May 17, 2026, broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Country celebrity and 2025 Entertainer of the Year winner Lainey Wilson opened the show with a efficiency of her track ‘Can’t Stand Still,’ which drew backlash from Prime Video viewers who said the flashing strobe lights made it ‘hard to watch.’

Viewers took to social media during the flashy efficiency, which featured a sequence of fast cuts that left some feeling queasy.

One X person wrote, “What in the world, im getting dizzy watching this,” as a second fumed, “Guess @PrimeVideo trying give people seizures one act into the #ACMawards.”

“Thanks for the seizure Lainey Wilson. That was hard to watch,” another viewer chimed in.

With its two-hour runtime, the show featured over a dozen performances from nation music’s largest stars, including Kasey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Zach Top, Cody Johnson, Kane Brown, the Red Clay Strays, Thomas Rhett, and Blake Shelton, among many others.

Lainey’s efficiency got here just one week after tying the knot with new husband Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges, making their crimson carpet debut as a married couple before the show. The 33-year-old performer was up for seven awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Music Event of the Year, and Visual Media of the Year.

Some speculated that the hitmaker’s current nuptials could have thrown her off her A-game.

“Love @laineywilson but that wasn’t good at all. So off, pitchy and the song didn’t seem like her either. Rare L and kinda bad performance from Lainey who usually kills live,” one fan wrote, to which another replied, “I thought the same thing. Maybe she didn’t rehearse a lot since she got married last weekend.”

Other viewers complained about the live broadcast’s sound points, with a number of performers’ mics cutting out on stage. One viewer posted, “The audio sucks on amazon prime,” while another wrote, “She cannot stand still. oh boy- why does vocal keep cutting out.

“My god, everybody appears like they’re singing in a room full of sound dampners!!” another frustrated viewer agreed.

One asked, “Does anybody else suppose the sound is bizarre tonight whenever anybody performs?” Another tagged the awards show directly, writing, “Why is the televised feed so horrible? Direct vocal feeds and a large lack of precise MUSIC! Sounds like we’re listening to a dry monitor feed.”