Country music star Miranda Lambert is scheduled to headline the halftime show during the upcoming Thanksgiving Day matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. The performance marks the latest chapter in a holiday tradition that stretches back nearly thirty years.
The annual Thanksgiving halftime showcase was established in the 1990s through an initiative led by Charlotte Jones, the daughter of Dallas Cowboys owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones. Challenged by her father to encourage fans to focus on community impact alongside football, Charlotte Jones envisioned using the team’s high-visibility holiday broadcast to launch The Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle Campaign. She pitched the concept directly to network executives, successfully establishing a partnership that has remained a holiday fixture.
The inaugural Thanksgiving halftime kickoff took place in 1997, headlined by Reba McEntire. Over the ensuing decades, the stage has featured a long line of prominent music artists and performers, including Destiny’s Child, Carrie Underwood, the Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, Dolly Parton, Lainey Wilson, and Post Malone, who performed during last year’s holiday broadcast.
Organizers noted that each televised performance serves as a national platform to encourage viewers to support The Salvation Army’s community outreach programs and year-round charitable initiatives.
Commissioner Merle Heatwole, national commander of The Salvation Army, emphasized the impact of the long-standing collaboration. The Red Kettle Campaign provides individuals with a straightforward method to assist neighbors experiencing hardship, according to Heatwole, who expressed gratitude to the Gene and Jerry Jones family, the Dallas Cowboys organization, and Miranda Lambert for drawing national attention to the needs of communities across the United States. Representatives for the organization reiterated that all donations collected through the campaign remain in the local communities where they are contributed, funding assistance programs and support services for those in need.
