Morgan Wallen's Dangerous: The Double Album was named Album of the Year at the 2022 ACM Awards on Monday night (March 7).

After taking the stage to accept the award, Wallen pulled out a pre-written speech from his pocket, on his phone, and began to read.

"When I started this album, I was a kid. By the time I put it out, I was a father, and that's become more important to me than anything else," Wallen said. "To my son, this album and this award will signify that his daddy was a fighter, and he chased his dreams and worked hard to make them a reality."

After giving a special acknowledgment to the songwriters who penned the songs on Dangerous, along with his friends, family, bandmates and country radio, he gave a special thank you to "everyone who has shown me grace along the way."

Finally, he paused for one final message: "Most importantly, I have to address my fans personally and directly. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

The moment marked the first time Wallen took the ACM stage since being disqualified and barred from appearing at the 2021 ACM Awards after he was videotaped using a racist slur. The award for Album of the Year is given to the artist, along with any producer(s) and record label(s) involved in the project.

This year, Wallen was competing against Carly Pearce's 29: Written in StoneThomas Rhett's Country Again: Side AMorgan Wallen's Dangerous: The Double AlbumChris Young's Famous Friends along with Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall's collaborative acoustic album The Marfa Tapes.

The 2022 ACM Awards were held at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium and streamed live exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. This year's event marked the first time that the ceremony was aired over a streaming platform instead of a major broadcast network. Dolly Parton hosted the show with the 2021 New Male and Female Artists of the Year, Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett.

2022 ACM Red Carpet Pictures

Country stars brought glitz, glamor and drama to the red carpet ahead of the 2022 ACM Awards

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