Peyton Manning: Luke Bryan For President! "He Won't Plead The Fifth, But He'll Drink A Fifth"

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and ManningCast broadcaster Peyton Manning endorsed a presidential candidate during last night's Country Music Association Awards, his co-host Luke Bryan!

The football and country superstars teamed up to co-host the CMA Awards live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

At one point during their monologue, Bryan sarcastically pretended to be a political candidate. "I have one goal tonight for everybody: To have fun, to come together, to unite, to country on... and to celebrate being Americans," Bryan announced.

Manning then exclaimed: "Luke Bryan for President, everybody!"

Bryan wasn't done just yet, adding: "My slogan: Hunting, Fishing, and Loving Every Day."

Peyton Manning then seized on the perfect setup to joke: "Luke Bryan: A candidate that will never plead the Fifth, but he'll drink a fifth!"

The full exchange can be seen in the monologue below:

THE AUDIENCE LOVED THEM

To be honest, Manning and Bryan were pretty damn good together.

Their mixture of topical jokes, ripping on each other and not taking themselves too seriously worked out well.

BRYAN WAS COMING OFF RECENT CRITICISM

Luke Bryan's political joke came a few weeks after some fans criticized him for bringing out Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during a recent tour stop.

Bryan acknowledged those that might have disagreed with his decision to welcome DeSantis to the stage. In a subsequent Twitter post he explained that he felt it was important to do so as relief efforts continue in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

For the most part, the CMA Awards stayed clear of politics last night.

THIS IS HOW AWARD SHOWS SHOULD BE

We all know that award shows have lost their mystique in recent years. Whether it's the Oscars, Emmys or Grammys, people are not tuning in as much as they used to.

That's why the pairing of Peyton and Luke worked out so well.

It wasn't forced. It was laid back and brought some laughter to help people escape the daily drama of their lives. To me, that's a success.

I nominate Peyton and Luke Bryan to co-host every CMA Awards from here on out!

Or maybe for a 2024 President/VP run?