The beloved holiday tradition Christmas in Rockefeller Center is airing tonight, November 29 at 8 pm ET on NBC and Peacock. The 80-foot tree is festooned with more than 50,000 lights and a 900-pound crystal-encrusted star, and a handful of performers will gather in Rockefeller Plaza under the tree to celebrate the lighting. Here’s an in-depth look at the performers and hosts for the 2-hour event.
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Hosts
Kelly Clarkson will host the event as well as perform for the first time in 20 years. Following her 2002 American Idol win, her first live performance was at that year’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center. There, she sang “O Holy Night.” Could she possibly recreate her debut live performance and sing the Christmas carol again? It would definitely be a full-circle moment for Clarkson and her fans.
Recently, she was spotted at Rockefeller Plaza recording a segment for the celebration. She was dressed warmly in a white, fur-trimmed coat and black leather gloves, wore her hair in a loose bun, and brought it all together with bright red lipstick. The pre-taping took place on November 28, so it looks like Clarkson’s musical segment of the ceremony will not be live.
Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and Craig Melvin of NBC’s Today will also holt alongside Clarkson and be on hand for commentary. They also hosted NBC’s showing of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, where Al Roker went viral for his return to parade hosting as well as for his sweet sense of style.
[RELATED: Christmas in Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting: How to Watch, Who’s Performing, and More]
Performers
Cher will attend the lighting ceremony, and there’s a possibility she’ll perform a number from her recent holiday album, Christmas. The album includes songs like “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” which she sang at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (Flavor Flav was a big fan).
There’s also some speculation that Cher could additionally sing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” with Darlene Love, who famously sang her 1963 hit every Christmas for nearly 30 years on The Late Show with David Letterman. Cher’s new album features a duet of the song with Love, so there’s a big chance they’ll come together to perform tonight.
Barry Manilow will also take the stage to sing a Christmas hit. His last Christmas album was In the Swing of Christmas from 2007, but he has a large catalog of holiday songs he’s done to choose from, including “Because it’s Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” and the classic “Jingle Bells.”
David Foster and his wife Katharine McPhee will perform together as well. The pair recently released a new version of last year’s Christmas album, Christmas Songs, in October this year. The album features five new tracks in addition to the original seven, adding Santa Baby,” “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas,” “We Three Kings,” “Snow,” and “Away In A Manger.”
Liz Gillies and Seth MacFarlane released a holiday album this year as well, dropping We Wish You the Merriest on November 3. MacFarlane told Variety in September, “[Gillies and I are] both fans of the classic Bing Crosby-Rosemary Clooney duet albums, and their exquisite, expressive orchestrations contrasting with a fun, casual vocal style.”
Keke Palmer and Adam Blackstone released the song “Christmas Kisses” earlier in November, and it’s possible they will perform it together at the tree lighting celebration. Additional performers are Chloe Bailey, Carly Pearce, and Manuel Turizo.
(Featured Image by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
