A Great Honor
Long ago, Reba McEntire was tapped as the host of the Country Music Hall of Fame’s 2019 inductee announcement. As a member of the HOF herself, McEntire seemed like the perfect pick for the occasion.
Over the past couple years, iconic artists such as Garth Brooks and Vince Gill have welcomed the HOF’s newest class of inductees and introduced them to the public.
Sadly, McEntire won’t get the chance to do the same this year.
Sickness Keeps Reba From Hosting
On March 8, the red-headed superstar revealed that she had to postpone a show because she was experiencing what she believed to be laryngitis. The show was moved to the following week, and was supposed to take place on March 16.
But the day before the rescheduled show, McEntire revealed she had to push it back yet again, because her illness was worse than she thought. Instead of having laryngitis, she actually has a strep infection.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvDAYGbFhsY/
Since that was a few days ago, fans wondered if McEntire would be feeling well enough to host the HOF announcement on Monday morning (March 18) as planned.
As late as Sunday night (March 17), the HOF Facebook still listed her as the host on an official graphic advertising the big reveal.
https://www.facebook.com/countrymusichof/posts/10156887338019550?__xts__[0]=68.ARDPcQ0O-kBpaER9xbmA1ygZp4rpy1iw9oBjPOSgfM_yTZBJbCUrjyHD8F7V2Y0A2liEM5LmPkahth5eJks9nYIxuDzl6xkQnJ0F39AKD36VBrzdgW2pcLIA8-CFhcfEP4HYc0Rrf-PpGIhUSuhsjz3NGeV3AYPmdHDQOU_7M6nAM0PotWKaYCECqGLkbWkdEhxkC5SD9V8ZM3cUmb0sxpc7jetKTjGlZqMTaepW4tJbl4Jk8kxPnH08gjkFFjAmzJWJUXjFi81LOtlkSWnHPitNopie5ZdPeAPhKGVeXd9TUhheVVh6ynLBW0I01DHsl0eKjV4WduoovU1rzE9eWxABBihjxIo2LIhhai0Ki0Hg-aNC-XC_55OmqWyfgRqIu4KNFcW0tINl4SrUssWyks6hLShBjnIpZdQo6a6_8EAqIZiyRL0B2INV6u0FrYWpCBfRAYEvMkwGWGXu7HuMj987BwJCbPEzzRmo6d2O&__tn__=-R
But the HOF Twitter listed another person’s name in Reba’s place.
A graphic indicated that Grand Ole Opry announcer and Disc Jockey Hall of Famer Bill Cody would be hosting the inductee announcement as McEntire’s last-minute replacement.
Tomorrow at 10 AM|CT, we're announcing the 2019 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees LIVE on YouTube. Be the first to find out who will receive Country Music's highest honor! ✨ #HonorThyMusic @CountryMusicHOF https://t.co/Rfk0l2Ugkn pic.twitter.com/ayQd3NIRbP
— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) March 18, 2019
Final Confirmation
The news that McEntire would not be hosting the announcement was finally confirmed by WSMC News 4 out of Nashville. In a short article published by the outlet just minutes before the HOF went live with the induction announcement, it was confirmed that Cody would be taking on McEntire’s duties.
“County star Reba McEntire was slated to announce the attendees but is feeling ‘under the weather,’ so she will be replaced by Bill Cody,” the article read.
UPDATE: Reba McEntire will no longer be announcing the @countrymusichof inductees this morning because she is under the weather. Bill Cody will be making the announcement instead. https://t.co/GyIBFpTvnP
— WSMV 4 Nashville (@WSMV) March 18, 2019
We’re sad to hear that McEntire was unable to announce the 2019 class of inductees into the HOF. Hats off to Cody for stepping up to fill her shoes on such short notice. Maybe she’ll be able to next year!
Hopefully McEntire recovers quickly. She has a full plate right now, since she’s gearing up for the release of a new album. Hear one of her newest songs in the clip below.