Jimi Westbrook from the vocal group Little Big Town — which also features musicians Kimberly Schlapman, Karen Fairchild, and Phillip Sweet — attended the 2025 Country Music Association (CMA) Awards on November 19, 2025. He was photographed on the red carpet looking handsome in a black suit with floral details, but fans may not have noticed he was on crutches, moments before he had his photo taken.
Jimi Westbrook Walks With Crutches
It was a big night for Little Big Town, who were nominated for Vocal Group of the Year, and despite his injury, Westbrook attended the Nashville ceremony. A TikTok video showed the moment when he discussed what had happened in an interview on the red carpet, telling photographers he “underwent surgery on his left ACL and meniscus three weeks ago and was still recovering,” People reports. He posed for photos without the crutches, and someone else held them for him.
“It’s a process,” he said of his injury.
Little Big Town’s Big Night
In photos taken on the red carpet, Westbrook can be seen posing alongside Fairchild, his bandmate and wife of almost two decades, and then in other pictures with the entire group. They all looked stunning.
Fairchild wore a red-and-black sequined gown with a leopard print, Schlapman sparkled in a gold gown, and Sweet attended the ceremony in a burgundy suit with a black button-down shirt and matching black shoes. He left the top buttons of his shirt undone for a more relaxed, comfortable finish.
The CMAs were broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, starting at 8 p.m. ET. For those who missed the show, it can be seen on Hulu from November 20.
Little Big Town lost out on the award for Vocal Group of the Year to The Red Clay Strays. Despite not winning this year, the group was excited to be nominated and shared the news on Instagram. They posted a photo from the nomination on social media and shared their thoughts in the caption. “Thank you @cma for the nomination. Always grateful to be part of this amazing category,” they wrote.
Fans commented, praising the group’s talents. “Y’all are always My favorite Vocal Group of the Year!” a comment reads. “I watched the nominations live. I loved to see my favorite group be a nominee!” another fan shared.
“You guys are the best of the best! Love y’all,” a third fan wrote.
I like the flowers on his suit. Very awesome! Hope he heals fast.