The CMA Awards joked about Shaboozey’s name — it didn’t always work

At this year’s CMA Awards in Nashville, Shaboozey has been the name on everyone’s lips.
From host Luke Bryan’s opening remarks, which included Shaboozey puns, to a mention in an acceptance speech from Cody Johnson’s producer, not all of the Shaboozey jokes landed.
The “Tipsy (A Bar Song)” singer’s birth name is Collins Obinna Chibueze, and he told Billboard last month that he picked up his stage name in high school when his football coach misspelled his name.
Shaboozey was nominated for two awards at the 58th Annual CMA Awards and took to the stage to perform the hit track and another song, “Highway.”
Ahead of his performance, Bryan mentioned that Shaboozey would be performing during the ceremony. Before referencing his hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Bryan popped in with, “Yeah, we call that a sha-doozey.”
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Later in the ceremony, Cody Johnson took home the award for album of the year for his record “Leather.”
Johnson accepted the award on stage from presenters Don Johnson and Katharine McPhee, saying, “I did not expect that,” as he took the trophy. Then, he handed the mic to his team.
Trent Willmon, Johnson’s producer, confused the crowd with a line in his speech: “This is for this cowboy who’s been kicking Shaboozey for a lot of years,” he said.
Fans were unsure if Willmon was making a dig at Shaboozey with the line, or just making a pun with his name. Either way, viewers were perplexed and took to social media to discuss Willmon’s comment.
“The only thing I can think was Cody Johnson’s producer was trying to make a joke about kicking ‘booty’ and replaced it with Shaboozey as a horrible pun that no one found funny lol,” one X user said on the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Another user said: “What do you think the guy who said ‘we’ve been kicking shaboozey for years’ meant during Cody Johnson’s acceptance speech?? I was so confused by that …”
Shortly after the CMA Awards broadcast ended, Shaboozey himself appeared to weigh in on social media with a photo taken inside an SUV limousine showing him smiling with the caption, “Ain’t nobody kicking me!”