Carly Pearce Suffered an Intense Accident Before the CMAs, Says Her Mouth Was ‘Completely Mangled’
This was one of the most important weeks of Carly Pearce’s life. The songstress had four nominations and a performance…
Carly Pearce; Photo by John Russell/CMA
This was one of the most important weeks of Carly Pearce’s life. The songstress had four nominations and a performance leading into Wednesday’s CMA Awards however, just 10 days prior, Pearce wasn’t sure she would make it to the show after suffering a major accident on Halloween.
The rising star revealed the news to Entertainment Tonight‘s Rachel Smith while backstage at the CMAs on Wednesday (Nov. 11).
“It’s been an intense 10 days, I’ll tell you,” Pearce shared, also referring to the face that Lee Brice was forced to pull out of their performance after testing positive for COVID-19. “Right before all of that happened I had an accident…I fell on Halloween and had a bunch of stitches in my mouth, knocked my two front teeth out, was, like, completely mangled.”
The 30-year-old also opened up about the incident to E!, explaining that she worked with an incredible team of doctors to help her heal in time for “Country Music’s Biggest Night.”
“It looked really bad. It was scary. I was just really fortunate to get doctors that helped and knew the pressure I was under,” Pearce acknowledged. “But with every day, I was like, ‘Please Lord, let my face heal so I can do this’ because this is such a huge moment.”
Luckily, she healed up quickly. On Wednesday morning, she learned that she won her very first CMA Award: Musical Event of the Year for “I Hope You’re Happy Now” with Brice. That evening, she took the stage to sing the song alongside Lady A’s Charles Kelley and all was right in her world again.
“So the fact that I’m standing here being able to talk and do all this, and the Lee and then the Charles [Kelley situation], it’s just been like such an intense 10 days,” she told ET. “So this makes it all worth it. I was kind of embarrassed to be here with my face and so it’s just awesome.”
Although the path the CMAs was a rough one, Pearce says she wouldn’t trade her CMA win for the world.
“I don’t know how to explain it. I mean, it’s truly like a dream come true,” she said of winning her first CMA trophy. “I’ve never held one of these and now that I know I get to have one is crazy…I’m like, this makes it worth it though. I’ll knock my teeth out for a CMA Award.”
Click HERE to re-live her performance of “I Hope You’re Happy Now” with Kelley.
Written by
Lauren Jo Black
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.