Ella Langley emerged as one of the biggest winners of the night at the 61st Annual ACM Awards, held Sunday, May 17, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The country star earned seven total wins across five major categories, including Female Artist of the Year, Singer-Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year, Single of the Year, and Musical Event of the Year.
Langley also picked up multiple trophies tied to Song and Single of the Year through her work as both an artist and songwriter, as well as artist and producer.
Ella Langley poses with her awards in the press room after a massive sweep at the 2026 ACM Awards in Las Vegas. (Photo via Getty Images)
She won one of the awards, Music Event of the Year, with Riley Green for their duet “Don’t Mind If I Do.”
This marks the second consecutive year the duo has won the category. They previously took home the award in 2025 for “You Look Like You Love Me.”
With the latest win, they became only the second duo in ACM Awards history to earn back-to-back victories in the category. The first artists to achieve the milestone were Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, who won in 1998 and 1999 for “It’s Your Love” and “Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me.”
Ella Interrupted Riley’s Speech
After The War and Treaty announced that Ella and Riley won the award, they walked up the stairs together to accept the award on the stage.
“Thank y’all so much,” Riley said the the crowd. “Let me start by thanking my very lovely and talented duet partner, Miss Ella Langley, for being a part of this song. I was in a green room in Fayetteville, Arkansas sitting by myself I wrote this song, I knew there was something special about it.”
He continued, “We already had another big hit together, and I thought, ‘Well I need to find somebody to do this song with me.’ And I called Ella in Nashville, Tennessee and she showed up to the studio in her pajamas and sang what you hear on the track. And I knew…”
Then, Ella cut him off by setting the story straight!
“I had on jeans and a t-shirt, thank you very much!” she said.
He quickly added, “She might sleep in those, I don’t know. but I knew that it was never gonna get any better than that and I’m so proud of how far you’ve come. You continue to surprise everbody with everything you do in your career. And more than anything, I’m really proud how you represent our home state of Alabama.”
The brief exchange immediately sparked reactions online, with some viewers interpreting the moment as playful tension between the two artists. Others saw it differently, believing Riley was simply complimenting Ella’s ability to casually walk into the studio and still deliver incredible vocals without effort.
The moment has since started circulating across social media, with fans continuing to debate the interaction and replay the clip online.