Wednesday night's CMA (Country Music Association) awards opened up with a bang, incorporating Kenny Rogers, the Robertson family from "Duck Dynasty," and even a little Obamacare mockery.
That's right, hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood had a special segment and even song mocking the failed health care rollout that featured the pair pretending to sign up for Obamacare and then crooning about the failure.
Co-hosts Brad Paisley, left, and Carrie Underwood perform a skit during the opening of the 47th annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. (Source: Wade Payne/Invision/AP)
Co-hosts Brad Paisley, center left, and Carrie Underwood, center right, are seen on-stage with cast members of "Duck Dynasty", Missy Robertson, left, Jase Robertson, second left, Willie Robertson and his wife Korie Robertson, at the 47th annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. (Source: Wade Payne/Invision/AP)
It all started while the pair was singing a new version of "Why Can't We Be Friends" that faked feuds between some of country music's biggest stars (including Kenny Rogers) and Paisley stopping abruptly to complain about back pain. That's when Underwood suggested trying to sign up for Obamacare.
"I started signing up last Thursday and I'm almost done," she said with a fake smile. "Let's go to the website and get you signed up."
That elicited laughs from the crowd as the pair went and grabbed a computer.
"Why's it spinning?" Paisley asked.
"Oh, it does that," Underwood responded.
"Why's it smokin'?" Paisley continued.
"Umm, I don't know," Underwood said, looking concerned into the camera. "Maybe we should restart it."
From there they broke out into a spoof of George Straight's classic "Amarillo by Morning," instead singing "Obamacare by morning/ Why's this taking so long?/I'm going to end up with hemorrhoids/If I sit here 'til dawn." It continued from there, even taking a shot at the reports that only six people were able to sign up the first day.
But no country music segment would be complete without the South's first family: the Robertsons of the hit show "Duck Dynasty." After the Obamacare mockery the clan made a special appearance to present the night's first award:
This isn't the first time Paisley and Underwood have used a current controversy to elicit laughs and applause during a CMA opening.
Back in 2011, the pair mocked the mainstream media uproar that ensued after Hank Williams Jr. made a comment about Barack Obama that led to him being fired from singing the opening to "Monday Night Football."
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