Victory! Maddie Marlowe from Maddie & Tae stole the CMT Music Awards 2022 show with her heartfelt welcome speech, which partner Tae Dai watched from home on Monday, April 11.
“Damn it! Let me tell you about the devil,” Marlowe, 26, said at the Nashville Awards ceremony, taking home the trophy in the Group/Duo Video of the Year category, referring to Denzel Washington’s words to Will Smith after his infamous slap in the face at the 2022 Oscars last month.
The Texas native, who is part of a musical duo, continued: “He will try to get you when you do the right thing, but God loves you. God loves you. OK, Devil, come on, baby!”
Marlowe, who married John Font in 2019, caught the attention of viewers with her speech just weeks after Smith, 53, drew attention to Chris Rock’s slap in the face at the Academy Awards on March 27.
During the King Richard star’s acceptance speech for Best Actor later that night, he also mentioned that God is the devil. “Denzel told me a few minutes ago, ‘Be careful at the best moment, then the devil will come for you,'” Smith said at the time.
Washington, 67, later explained his wise words to Smith after the slap, saying, “There’s a saying when the devil ignores you, then you realize you’re doing something wrong.” In March, he told reporters that “for some reason, the devil took possession of this circumstance that night” and overtook the actor of “The New Prince of Beverly Hills.”
On Monday, however, Marlowe seemed to mock the possible role of the devil in her and Dai’s victory in “The Woman You Got.”
She even laughed before turning her attention to the screen behind her, where her longtime best friend and colleague Maddie and Tae, 26-year-old Dai, was watching with her newborn daughter Leighton Grace.
“Oh, I miss you. I miss you so much, I can’t live without you,” Marlowe said, bursting into tears. “Here’s my girl. And I was drinking because I was very nervous.”
The “Friends Don’t” singer added, “Te, I miss you so much.” Dai, who married Josh Kerr in 2020, echoed her partner’s words, adding: “I love you, Maddie.”
After receiving support from Dai, Marlowe continued her speech by greeting their smallest fan. “Thank you, tell this girl that I love her,” she said.
The country musician then thanked the duo’s fans for all their love and support over the years before turning her attention to their team.
“The most important thing is the resilience that God has put in us and our team, the vision that He has given us. The clarity that God has given us, the strength that He has given us, and the peace that He brings,” Marlowe told the audience. “It’s much more than a reward for a music video.”
She was joking: “God knows I drank wine. Thank you, Jesus and CMT, I am so grateful.”
Dai finished the speech from her living room, adding, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
