There were plenty of winners at the 2023 ACM Awards, but Dolly Parton, once again, stole the show.

She and Garth Brooks hosted the two-hour awards show from the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco.

The easy banter between Brooks, in his first hosting gig, and Parton, 77, carried the show’s early moments.

It was Parton’s comedic relief that got the biggest reaction early and left Brooks blushing. She revealed that she’d long heard rumors that she’s the “hall pass” for both Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, saying, “I just had a thought! I know why you’re doing that ‘G.O.A.T.’ thing! I think it stands for ‘Garth Organized a Threesome.’”

“And I thought I couldn’t love you anymore,” an embarrassed Brooks said with a laugh. “I think I speak for everybody, not just in Texas but around the world, when I say we will always love you.”

She closed the show with the debut of “World on Fire,” the lead single from her upcoming all-star rock album, Rockstar. That album, a response to her reluctant 2022 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, is set to come out Nov. 17.

It was the second consecutive year the show was hosted by Parton but was the first time Brooks has hosted an awards show.

Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Music App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.