Biden team plans inauguration night celebrity TV special

In lieu of an inaugural ball, the virtual event will celebrate "American heroes" who have served on the frontlines during the pandemic.

By ALEX THOMPSON and TYLER PAGER

01/13/2021 08:01 AM EST

President-elect Joe Biden’s inaugural committee is producing a television special for the night of his inauguration next week in lieu of the normal in-person festivities, an official familiar with the plans told POLITICO.

The prime-time event will air on broadcast channels ABC, CBS and NBC but not Fox. Cable news networks CNN and MSNBC will carry it live. Fox News will not.

The 90-minute program, hosted by Tom Hanks and beginning at 8:30 p.m., will include performances by Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Ant Clemons and Jon Bon Jovi. Besides the celebrities, the program, dubbed “Celebrating America,” will “spotlight American heroes,” according to a description of the event.

“We have witnessed countless heroes this past year step up to the frontlines and serve their fellow Americans, so we are telling their stories, spreading their collective light, and celebrating the best of our country and its people with this prime-time program,” Tony Allen, the CEO of Biden’s presidential inaugural committee, said in a statement.

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https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/13/biden-inauguration-tv-special-458670