As Cody Johnson was accepting the award for Album of the Year for his 2023 project Leather, he turned the microphone over to his producer Trent Willmon, who appeared to throw shade at New Artist of the Year nominee Shaboozey:

Fans jumped to social media to defend Shaboozey who is steady climbing the charts while country producers are making insensitive jokes.

It wasn’t the only awkward moment of the night involving Shaboozey either. Earlier in the show, hosts Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning delivered a half-assed tribute to Toby Keith, holding up red solo cups while reading a few words from a teleprompter before quickly using it to segue into an introduction to Shaboozey’s performance:

Cody Johnson’s producer Trent Willmon seemingly shaded Shaboozey at the 2024 CMA Awards. Keep watching to see what he said, how Shaboozey responded and more.

During the awards show earlier this week, as Cody Johnson accepted the Album of the Year trophy for his record Leather, Willmon, who produced the LP, appeared to play off the the

Shaboozey seemed confused — but still smiling — after a bizarre moment at the 2024 CMA Awards where Cody Johnson 's producer Trent Willmon brought up his name while the two men were onstage to claim their Album of the Year trophy for Leather.

Shortly after the 2024 CMA Awards ended, Shaboozey, whose real name is Collins Obinna Chibueze, appeared to respond to the joke. He shared a photo of himself sitting in a sprinter van wearing an all-black outfit with rings on his hands and a chain around his neck.