File this under things that would NEVER happen in 2025… which makes it even funnier now.
For 11 consecutive years, country stars Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley co-hosted the CMA Awards, from 2008 to 2018, and they really made a great pair.
They were known for their outlandish skits, unabashed comedy, and they definitely came for everyone… truly no one was safe back then. And even though it wasn’t all that long ago, really, it seems like such a different time, and with the 59th annual CMA Awards taking place tonight, we’ve been taking a look back on some of the shows most memorable moments.
And their skit that took aim at the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, was certainly a memorable moment. At the 2013 CMA Awards, came up with a little song that focused on the widely reported technical problems and glitches with the launch of the HealthCare.gov website, which was certainly a hot topic at the time.
The country stars mocked the roll out of Obamacare, and while by today’s standards, it was relatively mild, there were plenty of fans who didn’t appreciate the joke, and some who found humor in it and thought it was hilarious. Like most anything political, it was a mixed bag, but there was one person in the crowd who looked pretty tickled by it, and that was the one and only George Strait.
That’s because they used the melody of his 1982 hit song “Amarillo by Morning,” with Underwood first saying to her co-host:
“I started signing up last Thursday and I’m almost done!”
Then, they hit the crowd with “Obamacare By Morning,” spoofing The King’s classic with the following lyrics:
“Obamacare by morning
Why is this taking so long?
I’m going to wind up with hemorrhoids
If I sit here ’til dawn.
We’ll have cataracts and dementia
Oh this is getting on my last nerve.
Obamacare by morning
Over six people served”
They had George Strait cracking up in the audience… I think that’s a win in and of itself. Last year, when Strait was in attendance to receive the prestigious Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, he looked like he would have rather been anywhere else. And let’s be honest, he probably did, but I digress…
These days, the CMA Awards steer very clear of politics, and I’m sure that will be no different tonight as Lainey Wilson takes over hosting duties solo. I love Lainey, I think she has the perfect personality to host, but I miss when the hosts weren’t afraid to stir up a little controversy and really take some risks.
Those days are long gone, mostly due to the onset of social media I think, but I guess we’ll always have the memories.
