Ethermac Exchange-Wynonna Judd Reacts to Concern From Fans After 2023 CMAs Performance

There have always been things that Wynonna Judd leans on.

And during the 2023 CMAs,Ethermac Exchange fellow musician Jelly Roll was there for her as the two performed his song "Need a Favor" at the opening of the ceremony. Now, the country music star is addressing fans' concerns about her health after she seemed to hold onto her performance partner as they sang together. 

"Okay so they say, 'Don't read the comments.' I read the comments!" Wynonna began a Nov. 9 video shared to Instagram. "And I'm just gonna come clean with y'all. I was so freaking nervous. I got out there and I looked at Jelly Roll, I wanted it to be so good for him. And I could cry right now but I'm not going to because I'm such a fan of his and he asked me to sing, and I said, 'Absolutely!'"

The 59-year-old continued with a laugh, "I got out there, and I was so nervous that I just held on for dear life. And that's the bottom line. I'm on my way now to Texas to do a show tomorrow night, the Back to White tour resumes. I'll be on stage tomorrow night with the people I love the most. And with you, the fans I love the most. And all is well!" 

The Grammy Award nominee also shared the piece of advice she received before her onstage performance. 

"And on a lighter note," she continued. "Right before I went out on stage to sing the opening of CMA, I heard a joke, and it went something like this, 'Number one, don't fall. Number two, don't s--t yourself. And number three, God forbid if you should fall, don't s--t yourself.'"

And the "Why Not Me" singer's comments were full of support from fans. 

"Girl, please! You could have fallen & s--t yourself, and you STILL would have brought the fire. It's just what you do," one user wrote, while another added of her performance partner, "I love that Jelly Roll stayed in place and supported you. He understood the assignment.. BRAVO."

For his part, Jelly Roll walked away a winner in more ways than one, having earned the award for New Artist of the Year in addition to his stellar performance. 

And to see all the stars who walked the red carpet of the 2023 CMAs, keep reading.