Luke Bryan‘s mom, LeClaire, is a bona fide social media star in her own right, thanks in part to the fact that she frequently finds herself the butt of the joke in family prank wars.

LeClaire is so popular that Luke’s fans might even have hoped she’d make an appearance at the 2021 CMA Awards, which her superstar son is hosting solo this year. And while his mom won’t be appearing on the big stage this year, Luke says it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

“We did have a moment where we were gonna maybe incorporate her. We were gonna have some fun with her, but it didn’t work out,” Luke admits with a giggle. “You never know — if they let me back next year, we might turn it over to Mama.”

In the meantime, Luke knows he’s got some big shoes to fill. There hasn’t been a solo host at the CMA Awards in almost two decades, and for a streak of years, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood helmed the show. During their tenure as hosts, Brad and Carrie were known not only for their hilarious onstage antics, but also for their frequent costume changes, and Luke says he might try to outdo them in the latter category.

“We’ve tabulated how many times they have done that, and I’m going to one-up them,” he hints. “Whether it’s just a tie here — just nuances — a pocket square here. That’s a wardrobe change.”

The 2021 CMA Awards airs on ABC tonight beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

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