Wynonna Judd is setting the record straight about her CMAs performance after some fans expressed concern about the country legend's well-being.
The 59-year-old delighted viewers when she helped Jelly Roll kick off the award show with a powerful duet of his song "Need A Favor." Fans were quick to notice that Judd held on to Jelly Roll for the entire performance and were worried about her health.
"Wynonna judd seems like she’s struggling up there," one person wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
"She looked like she was in a lot of pain," another commented.
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One fan suggested that Judd had a "death grip" on Jelly Roll.
Following the show, Judd addressed everyone's concerns in a cheerful TikTok video, which she also posted to Instagram.
“They say, ‘Don’t read the comments.’ I read the comments. And I’m just going to come clean with y’all. I was so freaking nervous. I got out there and I looked at Jelly Roll, and I wanted it to be so good for him,” she said.
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Judd said she “could cry right now” but added that she's not going to because she's “such a fan” of Jelly Roll.
“He asked me to sing, and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ I got out there, and I was so nervous that I just held on for dear life. And that’s the bottom line,” she added.
Judd emphasized that "all is well" and said she was on her way to do another concert the following day.
"I’ll be onstage tomorrow night with the people I love the most and with you — the fans I love the most," she said.
Judd ended the video with a joke she heard before she went onstage.
"Number one: Don't fall. Number two: Don't s--- yourself. And number three: God forbid if you should fall, don't s--- yourself," she said.
After performing with Jelly Roll, Judd spoke to press, Taste of Country reported, and said she was “nervous” and “excited” to perform with Jelly Roll.
“He’s so powerful and great at what he does. I was so nervous and so excited,” she said. “I don’t know how many of these moments I have left, but I can tell you this, that was top 10 for me.”
Jelly Roll also said the morning of the performance he was "so excited and nervous" he couldn't sleep in a tweet to his followers.
The singer received five 2023 Country Music Association Awards nominations and won for new artist of the year.
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