MEDIA ALERT: "COUNTDOWN TO MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE(R)"

· NBC will air the hourlong special "Countdown to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade(R)" on Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 8 p.m.

· On the eve of the iconic Thanksgiving Day parade, viewers will enjoy a behind-the-scenes peek at the incredible stories of the floats, balloons and bands prior to their journey through the streets of New York.

· The special will be hosted by Emmy Award nominee Amber Ruffin, host of Peacock's "The Amber Ruffin Show" and writer/performer on NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers."

· Making appearances in the "Countdown to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade(R)" special are Paula Abdul, Lauren Alaina, Jon Batiste, Darren Criss, Jordan Davis, Jimmy Fallon, Andy Grammer, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, Gene Simmons, Jordin Sparks and Rob Thomas.

· "Countdown to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade(R)" is produced by the Emmy Award-winning Brad Lachman Productions. Brad Lachman and Bill Bracken serve as executive producers.

AMBER RUFFIN BIO

A comedian, author and host of "The Amber Ruffin Show," Emmy and WGA Award nominee Amber Ruffin is also a writer and performer for NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers." She was the first African-American female to write for a late-night network talk show in the U.S. She wrote and performed on Comedy Central's "Detroiters" and was a regular narrator on the cabler's "Drunk History." Ruffin was previously a performer at Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, the iO Theater and the Second City in Chicago. In addition, she was a writer/performer for the 2018 and 2019 Golden Globe Awards, 2022 Tony Awards and has written for the Emmy-nominated series "A Black Lady Sketch Show." Ruffin is a New York Times bestselling author, along with her sister Lacey Lamar, of "You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories of Racism." She co-wrote the Broadway musical "Some Like It Hot," which began performances this month in New York.

All seasons of "The Amber Ruffin Show" are available to stream on Peacock with a new episode premiering Dec. 16.