If it isn't broken, don't fix it. That was clearly the route the writers of the 48 th annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards took Wednesday night.
Taking note from last year's show, where returning CMA hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood took aim at the then-faulty Healthcare.gov website, nothing was off limits this year.
Their target this time around? President Obama, again.
'I'll be the first to say it. President Obama does not care about Postpartum Taylor Swift Disorder (PPTSD),' Paisley told his cohost Underwood of the new disorder they say swept the nation when Taylor Swift switched to pop from country.
'I'm pretty sure that's why the Democrats lost the Senate,' Underwood told a cheering crowd in Nashville who were clearly celebrating the Republican's win Tuesday night.
The heat quickly turned onto a pregnant Underwood when Paisley suggested she name her unborn child Garth. No word yet if the 31-year-old is actually expecting a son with husband Mark Fisher or it was just a bit for the show.
Click here for the full list of 2014 CMA Awards winners
Underwood and Paisley also poked fun at the frenzy over Renee Zellweger's changing looks. The cohosts agreed not to talk about her because she might be in attendance without them knowing as she is 'the master of disguise.'
In one of the more controversial jokes of the evening, Paisley apologized to viewers who were expecting a new episode of ABC's comedy 'Black-ish' but instead found the CMAs on air. 'In the meantime, I hope you're all enjoying White-ish,' Paisley quipped.
The country crooners also put a timely spin on Dolly Parton's 'Jolene.'
'Quarantine, quarantine, quarantine, quarantine. What part of stay inside don't you understand?' they sang referring to nurse Kaci Hickox who refused to be placed under a 21-day quarantine after returning to the United States from working with Ebola-stricken patients.
'I really hope she's not a country fan,' Paisley noted.
The cohosts also sang a song about the infamous celebrity nude photo hacking scandal to the tune of 'Walk the Line' by Johnny Cash.
'I keep a close watch on that cloud of mine,' sang Paisley. 'I take naked selfies all the time. I'm scared I'll find they've leaked online.
'I think Blake Shelton's got some of his bare behind,' continued Paisley. 'There's probably 50 shades of Florida Georgia Line.'
Jokes aside, the most anticipated performances at country music's biggest night of the year were two collaborations with non-country artists.
Pop sensation Meghan Trainor took the stage with five-time female vocalist of the year winner Miranda Lambert to perform Trainer's hit 'All About That Bass.' While the platinum-haired singers gave a whole-hearted performance, the singers did nothing to add twang to Trainor's pop tune.
The same went for Ariana Grande's performance with vocal group of the year winners Little Big Town. After singing their hit 'Day Drinking,' Grande joined the group on stage to perform her song 'Bang Bang.'
There were several other standout performances including a surprise duet between Kacey Musgraves and Loretta Lynn and later from Eric Church and George Strait.
Country music's reigning king and queen both performed, although not together, Shelton and Lambert both went home with multiple awards including female and male vocalist of the year.
Vince Gill also went home with a huge honor; the singer was presented with the Irving Waugh Award of Excellence previously only given to Johnny Cash.
For the night's most coveted award, Garth Brooks presented Luke Bryan with entertainer of the year.
'First of all, I've never met Garth. Hey Garth, can I hug you again?' an emotional Bryan said as he accepted his trophy. 'Thank you God above...I have some angels in heaven, my brother and sister are up there making this night possible for me.'
Entities 0 Name: Paisley Count: 8 1 Name: Underwood Count: 4 2 Name: Garth Count: 3 3 Name: CMA Count: 2 4 Name: Obama Count: 2 5 Name: Mark Fisher Count: 1 6 Name: Ariana Grande Count: 1 7 Name: Kaci Hickox Count: 1 8 Name: Garth Brooks Count: 1 9 Name: Healthcare Count: 1 10 Name: Jolene Count: 1 11 Name: Luke Bryan Count: 1 12 Name: Taylor Swift Count: 1 13 Name: Country Music Association Count: 1 14 Name: Vince Gill Count: 1 15 Name: Lambert Count: 1 16 Name: Nashville Count: 1 17 Name: Blake Shelton Count: 1 18 Name: Miranda Lambert Count: 1 19 Name: Little Big Town Count: 1 20 Name: Republican Count: 1 21 Name: Bryan Count: 1 22 Name: Johnny Cash Count: 1 23 Name: ABC Count: 1 24 Name: Meghan Trainor Count: 1 25 Name: United States Count: 1 26 Name: Trainor Count: 1 27 Name: Postpartum Taylor Swift Disorder Count: 1 28 Name: Grande Count: 1 29 Name: Shelton Count: 1 30 Name: Florida Georgia Line Count: 1 31 Name: Dolly Parton Count: 1 32 Name: Loretta Lynn Count: 1 33 Name: Irving Waugh Award of Excellence Count: 1 34 Name: George Strait Count: 1 35 Name: Carrie Underwood Count: 1 36 Name: Senate Count: 1 37 Name: Eric Church Count: 1 38 Name: Brad Paisley Count: 1 39 Name: Kacey Musgraves Count: 1 40 Name: Renee Zellweger Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1x5nnL0 Title: Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisely Open CMAs With Ebola And Obama Jokes, Taylor Swift Tribute -- WATCH VIDEO HERE! Description: Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley kicked off the 48th Annual CMAs on Wednesday with jokes mocking President Obama, a tribute to Taylor Swift, and the "accidental" reveal of Underwood's baby's gender! The co-hosts, back as emcees for the seventh consecutive year, first paid tribute to George Strait, last year's Entertainer of the Year, with a song Paisley played on a guitar as he and Underwood sang.
