Winning! Maddie & Tae’s Maddie Marlow stole the 2022 CMT Music Awards show with her heartfelt acceptance speech — as partner Tae Dye watched from home — on Monday, April 11.
“Damn! Let me tell you about the devil,” Marlow, 26, said at the Nashville awards show while taking home the trophy for Group/Duo Video of the Year, referencing Denzel Washington’s words to Will Smith following his infamous 2022 Oscars slap last month.
The Texas native, who is one half of the musical duo, continued: “He’ll try to get you when you’re doing right, but God loves you. God loves you. OK Devil, let’s go baby!”
Marlow, who wed Jonah Font in 2019, caught viewers’ attention with her speech just weeks after Smith, 53, turned heads for slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards on March 27.
During the King Richard star’s acceptance speech for best actor later that night he too referenced God being a devil. “Denzel said to me a few minutes ago, ‘At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you,’” Smith said at the time.
Washington, 67, later explained his post-slap words of wisdom for Smith, saying, “There’s a saying when the devil ignores you, then you know you’re doing something wrong.” He told reporters in March that “for whatever reason, the devil got a hold of that circumstance that night” and overtook the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor.
On Monday, however, Marlow seemed to be poking fun at the devil’s possible part in her and Dye’s win for “Woman You Got.”
She even let out a laugh before turning her attention to the screen behind her where her longtime BFF and Maddie & Tae counterpart, 26-year-old Dye, was watching with her newborn daughter, Leighton Grace.
“Oh, I miss you. I miss you so much, I can’t do this without you,” Marlow said, breaking down into tears. “There’s my girl. And I’ve been drinking because I’m so nervous.”
The “Friends Don’t” songstress added: “Tae, I miss you so bad.” Dye, who married Josh Kerr in 2020, echoed her partner’s words, chiming in, “I love you Maddie.”
After getting support from Dye, Marlow continued with her speech, giving their littlest fan a shout-out. “Thank you, tell that baby girl I love her,” she said.
The country musician then thanked the duo’s fans for all their love and support over the years, before turning her attention to their team.
“Most importantly, the resilience that God has built in us and our team, the vision he has given us. The clarity God has given us, the strength He has given us and the peace He brings,” Marlow told the audience. “This is much bigger than a music video award.”
She joked: “God knows I’ve been drinking wine. Thank you, Jesus and CMT, I’m so grateful.”
Dye finished off the speech from her living room, adding, “Thank you. Thank you so, so much.”
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The female duo joined forces in 2014 and one year later they released their debut album, Start Here. In 2020, the women dropped their second record, The Way It Feels.
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