Carrie Underwood to step down from CMA hosting gig after 12 years: ‘It’s time to pass the torch’

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Carrie Underwood is hanging up her hosting hat.

The country singer announced on Instagram that, after 12 years of hosting the Country Music Awards, she is stepping down from the position.

Underwood, 36, has hosted with fellow country star Brad Paisley several times, and this year she was joined by Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton.

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"One of the highlights of 2019 and of my entire career so far was being on stage with the legends that are Reba and Dolly Parton. I'm so proud that we could celebrate the incredible female artists that are part of the legacy of country music, past, present and future, and I'm thankful for the huge audiences all over the world that tuned in to see it," Underwood captioned the photo, which featured shots of her hosting the awards.

The "Blown Away" singer noted that it's "hard to believe" that she's hosted the awards show 12 times, 11 of those occasions being with Paisley, her "partner in crime and friend for life."

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"I'm so incredibly grateful to everyone involved with the CMA Awards all these years. It's hard to imagine topping what we have accomplished together, so I've decided that it's time to pass the hosting torch (at least for now!) to others that will cherish it and honor it as much as I do," she explained. "I've got so many exciting things coming in the new year and beyond, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for all of us."

Underwood welcomed her second child earlier this year and told People Magazine that she felt pressure to return to work following his birth.

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“After having my first kid, I felt like I bounced back fast. And then with Jake, it was like my body took a minute to get back to me. It was frustrating, because I’m like, ‘Why wasn’t it like the first time?’" she said. “But I’m four years older. That also helped me shift my mindset — I’m still working hard, wanting to be the best me possible, but cutting myself slack and just thinking, ‘Be kind to yourself.’ It’s amazing what we [women] do to ourselves. We’re probably all our toughest critics."