The Absolute Worst Dressed Stars At The 2024 CMA Awards

For country music fans, the Country Music Association Awards are one of the biggest events of the year. They do call it country music's biggest night for a reason, after all! So, of course, all of our favorite country stars hit the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards red carpet. As always, some showed up in style, and others showed up in ... well, many cowboy-inspired accessories.

Just as we can't have rainbows without the rain, we can't have incredible red carpet looks without a few flops. Just like the 2023 CMA Awards worst-dressed list was star-studded, the 2024 CMA Awards brought us some stunning country stars in not-so-stunning country outfits. From utterly overused cowboy hats to bad color choices and a perplexing Big Bird-ish trend, this year's worst-dressed list was full of surprises. 

Luckily, there are plenty more country music red carpets in the future for our favorite stars to redeem themselves. For now, though, these are the worst-dressed stars at the 2024 CMA Awards.

There was one major issue with Ashley Cooke's red carpet look: the color. While the dress itself isn't the best and the fit felt a bit off, in a bolder, darker color, it never would have landed her on the worst-dressed list. Unfortunately, this beige shade completely washed her out, and it looked particularly odd with the sequin finish. A jewel tone would have made Cooke shine and would have allowed the dress' sheen to pop. 

Of all the odd looks on the CMA Awards red carpet, Billy Bob Thornton's getup had to be one of the strangest. The choice to layer the brightly colored open button-down between a black T-shirt and jacket got the outfit off to a messy start. Pairing it with his cockeyed hat and layers of jewelry just caused the whole look to feel haphazard and all over the place. 

Daniel Sunjata clearly wanted to put a fun twist on the classic suit. This is a great impulse to have for a red carpet, but this wasn't the way to do it. His long, fuzzy, striped peacoat just didn't give off the right vibe. It looks big and bulky when a sleek option would have been sharper, and rather than looking like an interesting alternative to a suit jacket, he looked like he was ready to head out into some inclement winter weather. 

We all know Frank Ray's song "Country'd Look Good On You," but this country outfit did not look so good on him. Ultimately, pulling off an outfit made entirely of red sequins just isn't an easy task. In Ray's case, however, this red sequin outfit was a suit, and it was paired with a bolo tie and cowboy hat. With all those elements together, this look just felt cartoonish and a bit too playful. 

Mitchell Tenpenny and Meghan Patrick are the quintessential country music couple. On the CMA Awards red carpet, however, they looked like caricatures of themselves. Alone, these outfits would have been flops, but when paired together, they looked even worse. Tenpenny's oddly printed green suit shouldn't have been paired with so many country accessories, and Patrick's entire look felt like it was from the cowgirl section at Spirit Halloween.

We get it — country music has its own unique style. It's no surprise that folks want to represent this style on country music's biggest night, but Ian Munsick took this impulse way, way too far. Munsick piled the details onto his ensemble, and yet none of these details worked together. The jeans and denim shirt are just ever so slightly different, which makes them clash. The belt and leather vest feel like they belong in two different outfits, and the jewelry and hat make him look like he's trying too hard.

While fans may dance along to Julie Williams' music, that doesn't mean she needs to look like a disco ball. Her sparkly silver dress with long, voluminous sleeves overwhelmed the star and took the attention away from her. Williams' worst offense, however, wasn't the dress, at all; it was how she accessorized it. Had she leaned into the glitz and glamour of the statement-making dress, this may have worked. The bolo tie and platform sandals on the other hand? We didn't know whether she was headed to the Oscars, the beach, or the rodeo. 

Brittney Boston opted for a colorful suit for the red carpet. This is typically a great choice. Unfortunately, this particular suit just doesn't work. The shade of pink doesn't feel quite right, the suit seems a bit ill-fitting, and those black, closed-toe shoes clash with it. Most importantly, though, we just don't know why she has tutus on her arms. Overall, the details of this suit make Boston look as if Big Bird got dipped in Pepto Bismol.

Who started this big feathery arm trend? Seriously — they owe us all an apology. Kacey Musgraves has had a stunning transformation over her years of stardom, but this look feels like a step in the wrong direction. This body-con, crystal-covered denim dress may have actually been a cool and unique look without those sleeves. But, the sleeves make the dress feel utterly over-the-top. As it is, this look feels more like a costume for a performance than a red-carpet look.

Amberly Brown may have matched the red carpet, but that doesn't mean that this dress was red carpet ready. Instead, she looked like she needed to chop off that train and throw on some ice skates. The combination of the velvety fabric, cutouts, and rhinestones made this feel like a dance or figure skating costume. Plus, the dress just didn't fit her right, and combining this with the fabric's texture made it look a bit messy and disheveled. 

Jackson Dean clearly knew what most folks would be wearing at the CMA Awards: a suit and a cowboy hat. However, he took this simple outfit formula and turned it into something totally strange. His unbuttoned, boxy jacket threw off his proportions and made him look like a kid wearing his dad's suit. Swapping a button-down for a black t-shirt managed to make this look feel even stranger. 

Jeff Bridges hid his surprising musical talent for years. At this year's CMAs, he embraced his love of music as a presenter. We just wish he also embraced the advice of a stylist. His brocade jacket was actually a nice choice to spice up a normal suit. The problem was his choice to wear it open and pair it with the big belt buckle. Since this jacket was a statement, it would have looked better on its own without other bold accessories vying for attention. 

Angie K's outfit started off with some clashing elements: white pants, a cream-colored top, and black boots. She then piled tons of country-inspired accessories on top of this already unstable foundation. She may have felt that the black belt and jewelry and cream-colored cowboy hat tied the ensemble's elements together. In reality, though, it just gave us way too many details to look at and left her looking too casual and disjointed for the occasion.