How many awards did Ella Langley win last night? Here is the answer - and the story behind it.
By the end of Sunday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Ella Langley had won every single category she was nominated in - seven trophies total - setting the all-time record for most wins in a single night at the ACM Awards, surpassing the previous record shared by Chris Stapleton, Faith Hill, and Garth Brooks.
Her five category wins: Song of the Year, Single of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Artist-Songwriter of the Year, and Music Event of the Year.
What happened with Ella Langley and Riley Green?
When Ella and Riley Green took the stage together to accept Music Event of the Year for their duet "Don't Mind If I Do," Riley began his speech by saying he wrote the song alone in a green room in Fayetteville, Arkansas, then called Ella in Nashville - and that she showed up "in her pajamas" to record what became the final track.
Ella cut in immediately. "I had on jeans and a t-shirt, thank you very much." Riley laughed it off - "She might sleep in those, I don't know." The crowd laughed. The internet did not let it go. Both have consistently said they are friends, not a couple, and nothing Sunday night changed that - but the moment is what everyone is talking about this morning.
The wins, the record, and the speech that mattered most
The evening opened with Song of the Year going to "Choosin' Texas" - a nine-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 - with Langley accepting alongside co-writers Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, and Joybeth Taylor.
Her first words at the microphone: "If you've ever met me, you know I am not at a loss for words very often. All I gotta say is - thank you, God, for putting me in a room with these three people right here."
When Female Artist of the Year was announced, Lainey Wilson - the two-time defending champion - was the first to run over and hug Langley before she reached the stage. That moment was not rehearsed. It was not a handoff. It was one woman who had held the title genuinely celebrating the one taking it.
What Langley said next is the part that stuck:
"Today I was having a strange day. I don't know what it is about awards, but I have strange days in the mornings here. And I walked right into Lainey's room and I just got emotional - and she hugged me and wrapped me up and started praying for me. And then all of a sudden here comes Miranda Lambert in her little pink hat."
She closed that speech the same way she opened the night: "Thank you, Jesus, for letting me do this for a while."
Ella Langley did not use a single stage moment to talk about her chart position or her streaming record. She thanked God, her co-writers, the women who prayed over her that morning, and the fans who made a country song do things she never dreamed.
Both she and Riley Green are Alabama natives who have spoken warmly about each other throughout their collaboration. "What she's done in the last year or so is pretty amazing," Green told Taste of Country ahead of the show. Whatever the internet decides to make of Sunday night, what actually happened was two artists accepting an award together and one of them correcting the record - literally - about what she was wearing. Yahoo!
The 61st ACM Awards streamed live on Prime Video from Las Vegas, hosted by Shania Twain.
Related Article: Ella Langley Drops 'Choosin' Texas' Video: Fans Spot Hidden Clues After Historic No. 1
