Garth Brooks explains why he removed himself from the ‘CMA’ entertainer of the year category

Garth Brooks is stepping aside.

The country music star says that after winning the highly coveted CMA entertainer of the year award seven times, it should be someone else’s turn to shine.

Brooks explained his decision during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

“It’s time for somebody else to hold the award and know what entertainer of the year feels like,” he said.

But removing himself from consideration won’t just be for this year; his decision stands for all future shows.

The “Friends in Low Places” singer said part of his thought process is due to backlash after last year’s win. Many were expecting country music singer Carrie Underwood to take home the award for the first time.

“It made winning entertainer of the year not as fun,” he went on to say.

And it was also a tweet from a fan that had a lasting impact on him.

“It said, ‘Why doesn’t he step down and have entertainer of the year be for the next generation.’ I 100 percent agreed.”

The CMA has since responded to Brooks decision in a statement: “The nominees and winners of the CMA Awards are selected by the vote of eligible members of the Country Music Association and not by CMA. The long-standing CMA Awards rules do not allow individuals to remove themselves from the balloting process at any point.”

The 2020 CMA Awards nominees are expected to be announced in the coming weeks ahead of the ceremony in November.