Kelly Clarkson Returning as Host of NBC's CHRISTMAS IN ROCKEFELLER CENTER Special

This year, for the second time in a row, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Kelly Clarkson will host the annual two-hour CHRISTMAS IN ROCKEFELLER CENTER tree-lighting special. The live special will air Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. ET – 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and simulcast on Peacock

Clarkson will not only host the beloved NBC staple, but also deliver festive performances under one of the world’s most famous trees. Viewers will also watch a number of celebrities perform their favorite holiday tunes. A full list of performers will be announced later this month. Watch the announcement below!

No stranger to spreading seasonal cheer, the two-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has released multiple holiday albums, including “When Christmas Comes Around ...” in 2021 and “Wrapped in Red” in 2013.  

The tradition of the Rockefeller Christmas tree dates back more than 90 years to 1931 during the Great Depression. The first official tree-lighting ceremony occurred two years later in 1933 in front of the then eight-month-old RCA Building (the current Comcast Building). The Christmas tree gathering was enhanced in 1936 with the opening of the Rockefeller Plaza outdoor ice-skating rink. NBC-TV televised the tree lighting for the first time in 1951 on “The Kate Smith Show” and as part of the nationwide “Howdy Doody” television show from 1953-55.   

ABOUT KELLY CLARKSON 

Kelly Clarkson is one of the most popular artists of this era with total worldwide sales of more than 25 million albums and 40 million singles. Her multi-Emmy Award-winning daytime talk show, “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” is about to start its 5th season and has moved to New York from Los Angeles (the show has already been picked up through 2025).

Additionally, she was the winning coach on seasons 14, 15, 17, and 21 of “The Voice.”  The Texas-born singer-songwriter first came to fame in 2002 as the winner of the inaugural season of AMERICAN IDOL and quickly became one of pop’s top singles artists. chemistry marks Kelly’s tenth studio album and third full-length release with Atlantic Records.

chemistry debuted to outstanding reviews in conjunction with an exclusive Las Vegas engagement, chemistry…an intimate night with Kelly Clarkson at Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Designed exclusively for the Bakkt Theater stage, Clarkson and her longtime band immersed fans in an intimate music experience that spans her two-decade long catalog of award-winning hits.

Clarkson previously released nine studio albums (Thankful, Breakaway, My December, All I Ever Wanted, Stronger, Wrapped in Red, Piece By Piece, Meaning of Life, When Christmas Comes Around…), one EP, Kellyoke, one greatest hits album and two children’s books (New York Times Top 10 bestseller River Rose and the Magical Lullaby and River Rose and the Magical Christmas).

Clarkson was honored with the 2,733rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is the recipient of an array of awards, including three consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host” for “The Kelly Clarkson Show”, three Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, one MTV Movie & TV Award, two Academy of COUNTRY MUSIC Awards, two AMERICAN COUNTRY AWARDS and one COUNTRY MUSIC Assn. Award. She is also the first artist to top each of Billboard’s pop, adult contemporary, country and dance charts.