Blake Shelton is ready for the inevitable barbs about him and his ex, Miranda Lambert, at the 49th Country Music Assn. Awards.
“The Voice” mentor, whose divorce from his fellow country superstar shook the world of country music over the summer, told “Late Night” host Seth Meyers on Tuesday that he’s willing to let co-hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley “kick me in the face a few times.”
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Shelton said he knew the jokes about his breakup were coming, especially because of the tight-knit community the country music industry fosters.
“This year’s gonna be awkward at the CMAs, speaking of jokes,” he said, “because we are such family and everybody there is friends.”
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The “Bachelor” couple called off their six-month engagement in May, two months after their much-hyped Season 19 proposal aired on ABC. The matchmaking series’ creator, Mike Fleiss, broke the news on Twitter.
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The “Rookie Blue” actress filed for divorce from the “Chuck” alum in April, just two months before their first year wedding anniversary. The couple got hitched in Maui in June 2014 but Peregrym listed their date of separation as a mere six months after tying the knot.
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“The View” host confirmed her departure from the talk show and her second wife in February. The couple became engaged in December 2011 and married secretly in June 2012. O’Donnell had four kids already before she and Rounds later adopted a daughter. (Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment)
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In January, news broke that the actress and rocker had both filed for divorce after nearly six years of marriage. The decision to split was “mutual” and “a respectful, amicable parting of ways,” they said in a statement. (Left: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Right: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
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The former “Bachelor” contestant who later headlined “The Bachelorette” announced her split in January in a joint statement with Murray after a months-long engagement. “We have decided that it’s best for both of us to go our separate ways,” they said. (Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images for Kleinfeld Bridal)
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The “Dads” actor ended his 2½-year marriage to the English model in January by filing for divorce and citing “irreconcilable differences.” It was Deyn’s first divorce and the second for Ribisi. (Jason Merritt / Getty Images for Sundance (left) / Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images)
Much like higher-profile award shows, CMA hosts don’t look much further than the members of their audience for quippy fodder, which is heightened because of the intimacy between the nominees.
“There’s gotta be one about me and Miranda,” Shelton said. “Brad Paisley is not doing his job if he doesn’t look down there and go ‘HAHA!’ He’s gotta do it. ... You have to address the elephant in the room, for sure. ... He has to.”
Shelton added that everybody in country music is friends: “If you’re in the country industry, it really is a family — a big inbred family.”
After about four years of marriage, the beloved couple announced their split in July. The revelation came two weeks after Shelton filed and finalized his divorce from the “Little Red Wagon” singer.
“This is not the future we envisioned,” their statement said. “And it is with heavy hearts that we move forward separately. We are real people, with real lives, with real families, friends and colleagues. Therefore, we kindly ask for privacy and compassion concerning this very personal matter.”
The “Doin’ What She Likes” singer, 39, and the country darling, 31, wed in May 2011 on a ranch in Texas Hill Country after a year of engagement that capped about five years of dating. Shelton said that he fell in love with Lambert in 2005 when they performed “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma” together.
As Us Weekly pointed out, the former couple has attended the CMAs together since 2007 and often accepted joint awards together. This year’s show, which airs Nov. 4 on ABC, will be their first solo red carpet in eight years — and we wouldn’t be surprised if one or both of them opted to skip it.
Incidentally, both Shelton and Lambert are nominated — two nods for him and four nods for her — and are slated to perform during the telecast.
Follow me on Twitter @NardineSaad.
