FUNNYMAN RON WHITE TO BRING THE JOKES AS HOST OF "CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR," AIRING LIVE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3 AT 8 P.M. ET

The 90-Minute CMT Special will Honor Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Hunter Hayes and Tim McGraw as the Top Country Artists of 2013

NASHVILLE - November 19, 2013 - CMT fan-favorite and funnyman Ron White will bring his own brand of off-color humor, cigars and scotch to the room as the host of CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR, a 90-minute special airing LIVE on Tuesday, December 3 at 8:00 p.m., ET. With White at the helm, CMT will celebrate a remarkable year in country music by honoring Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Hunter Hayes and Tim McGraw. The five honorees will gather in Nashville alongside their peers and notable luminaries for an evening filled with rocking performances, surprise guests and cheers to the achievements of each CMT ARTIST OF THE YEAR.

"CMT helps me with SALUTE TO THE TROOPS so when they asked me to do this live show, I of course thought they were having a momentary lapse of reason," said White. "I said, 'what the #%^&?'"

"Ron White is without a doubt one of the funniest stand-up comedians working today," said John Hamlin, SVP of Music Events and Talent, CMT. "It's a bit of a risk to put him on live television given his 'colorful' personality, but it's a risk worth taking and will surely be hilarious for the fans watching at home."

Ron White first rose to national fame in 2000 as part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, performing with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy. Since then, he has gone on to tour solo, selling out venues across America. The tour's success earned him a place among the top three highest-grossing comedians over the past nine years. All four of White's comedy albums charted #1 on the Billboard Comedy Charts. He has sold over 14 million albums (solo and with the Blue Collar Comedy Tour), and has been nominated for two Grammys. White is an avid supporter of the Armed Forces, and has performed for the Troops at military bases in the U.S. and around the world. Since 2010, CMT has aired his annual charity show RON WHITE'S COMEDY SALUTE TO THE TROOPS, which White created to raise funds for the Armed Forces Foundation.

Join the conversation on CMT.com/AOTY/ and the official Facebook page, or follow @CMT on Twitter using official hashtag #CMTAOTY.

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR is executive produced by Michael Dempsey. John Hamlin and Margaret Comeaux serve as executive producers for CMT.

CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.