Between the turkey and football, music is a big part of Thanksgiving Day, too.
Each year, the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions host a Thanksgiving game against different opponents as a longstanding NFL tradition, plus a third game selected between two other teams. All games include a special halftime show, almost a mini primer for the massive production we’ll see in a few months at the Super Bowl.
The Cowboys and Lions have tapped some of the big stars to perform at their respective stadiums on Turkey Day. Dallas has had Luke Combs, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers and Creed to name a few. The Lions have tapped Jack Harlow, the Goo Goo Dolls and local stars in Big Sean and Mike Posner.
Here’s who you can expect to see perform at each Thanksgiving Day halftime show this year:
Post Malone has hits across various genres with his unique blend of pop, rap, R&B and now, country. The star musician has deep ties to the Cowboys, as his father became the manager of concessions for the football team after Post’s family moved to Texas when he was nine years old.
"I'm from Texas. I grew up a Cowboys fan and have been watching this halftime show for years," he said in a team announcement. "It's a real honor to be part of the Red Kettle Kickoff with The Salvation Army and the Dallas Cowboys and help bring hope to so many people."
He’s an 18-time Grammy nominee and now gets to take center stage for his favorite team at the iconic halftime show he grew up watching. Dallas’ halftime show issues a rallying cry to donate to The Salvation Army's work in communities nationwide.
Detroit native and legendary rapper Eminem took the reins as an executive producer for the Lions’ Thanksgiving halftime show through ‘27. He and his long-time manager Paul Rosenberg will consult the team on talent selection and production for the show. He’s starting with another Detroit native in rocker Jack White. White, a 12-time Grammy winner, rose to fame as the guitarist and lead singer of the White Stripes. Once the rock duo disbanded, his success continued with a solo career.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this month as a well-deserved honor for his legendary music career. He takes the stage in his hometown on Thanksgiving as a longstanding figure in Detroit sports, even performing an electrifying rendition national anthem on his guitar at a Tigers game in the past.
Rapper, producer and DJ Lil Jon will perform in Baltimore as part of the Thanksgiving night game between the Ravens and Bengals. He won a Grammy in ’05 for best rap/sung collaboration for his hit “Yeah!” with Usher and Ludacris. In ‘03, he won an American Music Award for best rap/hip hop group as the front man of his group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz.
He made an appearance during the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show where he sang his hit “Turn Down for What” before he joined Usher and Ludacris for “Yeah!” in Las Vegas as the Chiefs beat the 49ers. Now, the Atlanta native he headlines a Thanksgiving Day halftime show.
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