Wynonna Judd’s CMA Awards 2023 performance sparks concern from worried fans

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By Asiya Ali

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Wynonna Judd has left fans concerned after her performance at the 2023 Country Music Awards.

On November 8, the 59-year-old vocalist graced the 57th Annual CMA Awards stage for a performance. However, her condition during the show has sparked worries among viewers.

Judd - who lost her mother and singing partner Naomi Judd last April - appeared unsteady while joining country newcomer Jelly Roll for a duet of his song 'Need a Favor,' to open ABC’s broadcast of the show.

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Jelly Roll and Wynonna Judd perform onstage at the CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on November 8. Credit: Christopher Polk / Getty

She held onto the singer's arm for the duration of the performance, with fans quickly taking to social media to voice their reactions.

One worried fan penned on X (formerly known as Twitter) that Judd seemed "like she’s struggling up there," while another person interjected: "I thought the same. She walked out on stage strangely and didn’t move the entire time. Wonder what’s wrong."

Someone else chimed in: "I’m worried about Wynonna Judd on this opening song from the CMA Awards. She looked she could barely walk, grabbed Jelly Roll’s jacket, and didn’t MOVE."

A fourth questioned: "Anyone think that Wynonna Judd was acting a bit off with Jelly Roll??"

Watch the performance below:

Many fans claimed that Judd's struggles in the performance may be because of her vertigo, and even commended her for powering through it on stage.

"Vertigo. Like being on a spinning just by moving your head. She did really good considering," one post read.

"I hope Wynonna Judd is ok. It looked like she was grabbing onto Jelly Roll to keep from falling during their performance. I know she had an issue with vertigo before. It almost looked like she was having trouble seeing," a second added.

Fortunately, Judd is doing just fine, and has since taken to Instagram to share a video with fans after reading comments about her performance.

In the video, she admits that the reason for her holding onto Jelly Roll was because she was "so freaking nervous".

"I got out there and I looked at Jelly Roll. I wanted it to be so good for him," she said in the video. "I could cry right now, but I'm not going to because I'm such a fan of his and he asked me to sing and I said, 'Absolutely!' I got out there and I was so nervous that I just held on for dear life. And that's the bottom line."

This isn't the first time Judd's fans have rallied around her.

Back in January, the star shared a video after canceling her 2023 New's Years Eve performance on the day of the special.

As many fans feared for her mental wellbeing, Judd shared a video on Instagram, to ease her followers’ minds.

"Well, I’m okay," she began. "I am working so hard on my mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. And I have a really great team. I’m really blessed and I’m broken and I’m working really hard on self-care which is not selfish, it’s sacred."

"So I'm OK and the last thing I'll say is, can't keep a good woman down for too long," she concluded.

The singer has been on tour since late October and is expected to perform shows across the country through December 1.

Featured image credit: Terry Wyatt / Getty