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The Super Bowl isn’t the only big event to look forward to this weekend. On Saturday night, ‘Byron Allen Presents the Comedy and Music SuperFest’ debuts on NBC.
Looking forward to some fun with family and friends this weekend? Sure, you can wait to gather the crew for the Super Bowl on Sunday afternoon; but Allen Media Group, parent company of theGrio, has got a pre-game treat for you on Saturday night!
On February 11, “Byron Allen Presents the Comedy and Music SuperFest,” will make its prime-time debut on NBC from 8 to 10 p.m. ET/PT. Described as a “can’t-miss night of comedy and music” co-hosted by Byron Allen himself, the two-hour extravaganza features some of the most prominent names in each genre. Kenan Thompson, Cedric The Entertainer, Tiffany Haddish, Howie Mandel, and Gabriel Iglesias are among the evening’s co-hosts, doing double duty as performers alongside fellow comics Loni Love, Tommy Davidson, Gary Cole, Roy Wood, Jr., Jon Lovitz, Jodi Miller, and Dane Cook.
“It’s just inspiring to be around Byron,” explained Kenan Thompson as to why he eagerly accepted an invitation to co-host Allen’s revival of the classic variety show. “When [he] says SuperFest, it’s the real thing.”
In between the laughs, viewers will enjoy incredible musical performances by John Legend, Toni Braxton, Gladys Knight, Boyz II Men, and Earth, Wind & Fire, backed by a band led by Emmy-winning musical director Rickey Minor.
“We love performing, and we love performing in front of crowds that appreciate our music,” said Wanyá Morris of Boys II Men, adding that the Comedy and Music SuperFest is “a beautiful platform for us to just go out and be ourselves.”
Taped in front of a live audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, the two-hour television special harkens back to the classic televised variety shows once made famous by Ed Sullivan, Dick Clark, and more. As Allen explained to theGrio, the format’s return to prime-time television is long overdue.
“I want to put a pep in everybody’s step. I want you to feel good about being alive. I want to put a spark, a smile in your heart. I want you to feel good. I want you to just look forward to something,” he said. “And if we can help provide that with this show and others like it, I just want you to be positioned — whoever you are out there — to be your best, and to bring out the best in you. I just want life to be a joy.”
“Byron Allen Presents the Comedy and Music SuperFest” premieres on Saturday, February 11 from 8 to 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
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