Luke Bryan, Peyton Manning return as co-hosts of 2023 CMA Awards

Multiple-time "Entertainer of the Year" winner Luke Bryan and National Football League Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning are slated to return to Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 8, 2023, at 7 p.m. CT on ABC as the hosts of the 57th Country Music Association (CMA) Awards.

Manning returns as the host after breaking a five-decade-long tradition hearkening back to 1968, when Roy Rogers' wife Dale Evans co-hosting the second-ever CMA Awards with her husband marked the first time a non-country music performer hosted the program.

The surprisingly quite humorous duo's work yielded huge 2022 results as viewership grew to 9.7 million total viewers and a 1.79 television rating among Adults 18-49 after 7 days of viewing across linear and digital platforms. Moreover, the awards were the No. 1 most social and entertainment programs of the 2022 season with 3.7 million total social interactions and 5.3 million video views.

"It's a big, fun night for me. [I want] to try to make sure that I'm always creating some laughs, some fun moments and making sure everybody can be comfortable in the room," stated Bryan about his hosting gig to The Tennessean in September 2022.

About his co-host Manning (a self-professed "huge fan" of Eric Church and George Strait, among many), he added, "He's an amazing quarterback and a great guy and a great fan of country music."

As for Manning, in the past, he's joined Brett Eldredge in Denver, sang "Friends In Low Places" with Dierks Bentley and watched his alma mater University of Tennessee supporter Kenny Chesney — who performed at the former quarterback's wedding — at Mile High Stadium.

For more information on the 57th CMA Awards, visit https://cmaawards.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Luke Bryan, Peyton Manning return as co-hosts of 2023 CMA Awards