Toby Keith stole the show at last night’s first annual People's Choice Country Awards, which took place at Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry house.
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Not only did he move the crowd — including his wife, Tricia Lucus — to tears with a performance of the song, “Don’t Let the Old Man In,” Keith was also honored with the night’s ‘Country Icon Award.’
Keith’s recognition at the show comes just over a year after he revealed to fans he’d been diagnosed with stomach cancer and undergoing treatment since fall 2021.
“I bet you all never thought you’d see me in skinny jeans,” Keith joked while addressing his thinner appearance due to his treatments. “I want to thank the almighty for allowing me to be here tonight, he’s been riding shotgun with me for a little while,” he continued before recognizing others.
“A lot of people go into making a big career of 30 years like this,” he expressed before recognizing his family, band, crew, manager and of course, his fans.
“Most of all, I want to thank the fans for still allowing us to do what we do,” he said. “God bless y’all.”
Other winner’s from last night’s show include Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Dan + Shay, Blake Shelton and more.
Catch Toby’s performance, acceptance speech, and a whole lot more by catching an encore performance of the People’s Choice Country Awards, now streaming on Peacock.