Chris Stapleton and his wife, Morgane Stapleton, were set to perform “Maggie’s Song” at this year’s ACM Awards. However, when the performance came, some fans were surprised to see Miranda Lambert sitting in for the number.
As it turns out, Morgane had to step away due to a prior doula commitment, ET has learned.
In her place, Miranda joined the artist, meaning she was a part of three different performances during Sunday’s show. She first kicked off the show with Elle King, as the two belted out “Drunk (And I Don’t Want to Go Home).”
She also took the stage with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall for a performance of “In His Arms,” off her forthcoming album, The Marfa Tapes.
As for Chris’s “Maggie’s Song,” the number — which appears on his recently released album Starting Over — was written as a tribute to Chris and Morgane’s late lab-terrier mix.
Miranda, who is the most-nominated female artist in ACM history, is up for five of the night’s trophies, and is looking to hold on to the title of most-awarded female artist in ACM history.
Meanwhile, Chris went into Sunday’s show leading the pack, alongside Maren Morris, with six total nominations.
