Carrie Underwood & Brad Paisley Reveal Why They Joke About Blake Shelton, Not Miranda Lambert

Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley are opening up about their CMA Awards jokes and why they seem to pick on certain people more than others.

After confirming that they would be co-hosting the big show – dubbed country music’s biggest night – for the 10th consecutive year this November, Brad and Carrie revealed how they decide who’s a fair target for the tongue in cheek monologue jokes and hinted at why Blake Shelton seems to be more of a target than ex-wife Miranda Lambert.

Speaking out about how they gather their material during a CMA Festival event last week, Brad and Carrie admitted that Shelton is a great sport when it comes to their friendly jabs but appeared to suggest that Miranda maybe isn’t so keen on her 2015 divorce from the singer being brought up during the show.

As reported by People, Carrie and Brad “closely police which stars become the butt of their jokes” as the twosome confirmed that Blake is always ready to be made fun of – as is fellow country superstar Luke Bryan – but did not mention Miranda’s enthusiasm for their quips.

“Blake will always laugh at himself,” Brad said, likely referring to the jokes the twosome have made about his and Miranda’s divorce and his subsequent high-profile romance with fellow The Voice coach Gwen Stefani.

“We just kind of learn who is a fair target,” he then added of himself and Underwood.

Though Underwood and Paisley didn’t mention Lambert by name, they appeared to hint that the “Tin Man” singer potentially isn’t such a fan of their playful banter that can often be a little cutting.

Not naming names, Carrie added that she and her co-star of a decade “learn … which [country stars] may not like it so much, so you just try to work with that.”

Notably, Lambert has mainly stayed out of the mouths of the duo in the wake of her and Shelton’s divorce which rocked the country music world two years ago, suggesting she wasn’t a fan of the duo bringing up their split.

Carrie and Brad joked about Miranda and Blake calling it quits during the 2015 show but only joked about Blake’s part in the split during their opening monologue just months after the twosome confirmed their divorce after three years of marriage.

Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley joked about all the famous breakups that happened in 2015 during the show before People reported that Paisley then turned to his fellow country star in the audience and joked, “And on a completely unrelated note, Howdy Blake.”

Paisley and Underwood then continued to joke about Blake and Miranda’s divorce but never mentioned Lambert by name, though Shelton could be seen laughing and smiling at the camera as Carrie and Brad poked a little fun.

“Have you heard the song that Blake did with Ashley Madison?” Paisley then asked Underwood during the monologue, to which Carrie replied, “No, no, that was Ashley Monroe.”

The jokes, which didn’t explicitly mention Miranda, happened shortly after Blake revealed that he was expecting Carrie and Brad to take aim at him and his love life during the country music award show, even joking that the duo wouldn’t be doing their jobs if they didn’t discuss their split.

“This year is going to be awkward at the CMAs, speaking of jokes. [Country music] is such a family. Everybody there is friends, you know? There’s gotta be a joke about me and Miranda,” he revealed during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers per Billboard.

“Brad Paisley is not doing his job if he doesn’t look down there and go, ‘Haha!’ I mean, he’s gotta do it. You have to address the elephant in the room,” he continued of Brad and Carrie’s CMA Awards monologue material.

Blake even confirmed at the time that he’d spoken to Paisley about what’s fair game.

“We’ve had the conversations, like, ‘Okay, dude, I will go sit there and let you kick me in the face a few times,'” Shelton said on the late night show of Underwood and Paisley’s jokes, adding, “I know it’s coming.”

Miranda never publicly spoke out about Brad and Carrie joking about her divorce at the 2015 CMAs though the couple managed to keep her name out of their monologue, though Underwood and Lambert are also famously close friends.

As well as collaborating on the track “Somethin’ Bad” in 2014, the two have gushed over each other on multiple occasions while Lambert even revealed on Good Morning America that she gifted Underwood a motorcycle following the success of their duet while revealing she has a whole lot of respect for Underwood.

What do you think of Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley’s confessions about their CMA Awards jokes?

[Featured Image by Rick Diamond/Getty Images]