Lauren Alaina Digs Up Teary-Eyed Video from the 2025 ACM Awards

Lauren Alaina is feeling all the emotions of the ACM Awards again in 2026, but this time it’s because she was a part of the big show.

Lauren Alaina Got Real Honest About the 2025 ACM Awards

While the moment was heavy, she was very grateful to be included in the conversation and the show as a whole.

Last year, she watched the show from home, which stirred up a lot of feelings of being left out.

“I desperately wanna be there and I wanna be up for these awards and being able to present these awards and walk the carpet and be with my friends,” she said in a video in 2025. “I’m just feeling sad.”

The American Idol alumni re-shared the video this year with a message to her 2025 self.

“I wish I could tell the girl crying on the couch last year that she would not only attend the ACMs but she would take the stage to present the most important message she could share in her heart.”

“You never know what a difference one year can make.”

Why Was Lauren Alaina Crying at the 2026 ACM Awards?

While introducing Dan + Shay’s performance of “Say So,” the country singer delivered a message about the importance of mental health — and she couldn’t hold back the tears.

“Like too many of you out there, I know what it’s like to lose someone who struggled with their mental health,” she said before dropping her head and crying.

READ MORE: Here’s What You Didn’t See at the 2026 ACM Awards

She didn’t mention anyone’s name, but she did lose her father, J.J. Suddeth, in 2024.

In the past, Alaina has mentioned his battle with alcohol addiction. In 2025, she revealed he had relapsed prior to his death.

Even though she was emotional, she was able to finish her speech highlighting the impact mental health can have on those suffering and those around them.

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