Shaboozey Responds to Cody Johnson Producer’s ‘Kicking Shaboozey’ CMA Awards Comment

Shaboozey is taking things in stride after Wednesday night’s (Nov. 20) CMA Awards — and following a curious comment from Cody Johnson’s producer Trent Willmon.

At the CMAs — which were held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena — Shaboozey was nominated for new artist of the year and single of the year for “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” The smash hit has led the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 for 18 nonconsecutive weeks, and is one week away from setting a new record. Shaboozey also performed during the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Johnson was a big winner during the evening, picking up album of the year for his project Leather, which featured his recent hits “The Painter” and “Dirt Cheap.” It was a crowning moment for the Texas native known affectionately by fans as CoJo, who has been steadily building his reputation for recording stellar songs and putting on high-energy concerts.

When Johnson and his producer Willmon took the stage to accept the honor, Willmon told the audience, “It takes an army of people to make a great record, but I gotta tell ya, this is for this cowboy who’s been kicking shaboozey for a lot of years, y’all.”

Many country music fans took to social media with anger and confusion over the comment, which seemingly threw shade at Shaboozey, though some were not certain if the comment was a deliberate dig at the “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hitmaker, or an unfortunate attempt at a joke that simply came off wrong.

Either way, Shaboozey doesn’t seem bothered by the comment. Shaboozey tweeted a photo of himself after the show, with the caption, “Ain’t nobody kicking me!”

Shaboozey may not have taken home a CMA trophy, but he has more shots at awards accolades ahead of him, as he’s up for five Grammy Awards in 2025, including multiple nominations for “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” in the categories of best country song, best country solo performance and song of the year. Shaboozey is also up for the Grammy for best new artist, while the song “Spaghettii,” his collaboration with Beyoncé and Linda Martell on the pop superstar’s Cowboy Carter, is up for best melodic rap performance.