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

· NBC will air the hourlong special "Countdown to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade(R)" live on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m.

· On the eve of the iconic "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," viewers will enjoy an all-access look at the Macy's Parade Studio to discover exactly what it takes to create the famous floats and balloons prior to their journey through the streets of New York.

· For the second year in a row, the special will be hosted by Emmy, Tony and WGA Award nominee Amber Ruffin ("Late Night with Seth Meyers").

· "TODAY" anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker will also join in the celebration as they share their favorite parade-hosting memories throughout the years.

· Viewers will join a high school marching band on their journey to New York to perform on Thanksgiving morning. In addition, they'll meet a parade-loving family traveling cross-country for a front row seat on Sixth Avenue.

· "Countdown to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" is produced by SilentHouse Productions. Baz Halpin, Mark Bracco and Linda Gierahn serve as executive producers. Sacha Mueller will serve as co-executive producer.

AMBER RUFFIN BIO

Emmy, Tony, and WGA Award nominee Amber Ruffin is an New York-based actress, voice artist, event host, comedian, writer/performer for NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" and host of Peacock's "The Amber Ruffin Show." She trained in sketch comedy and improvisation at the Second City Chicago Mainstage and Boom Chicago in Amsterdam. Her fellow Boom Chicago alumni include Jason Sudeikis, Seth Meyers and Jordan Peele (whom she has starred alongside with in Comedy Central's "Key & Peele"). Shortly after, Ruffin joined "Late Night," becoming the first African-American female to write for a late-night network talk show in the U.S. 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." Her voice work can be heard on such titles as Netflix's "Big Mouth" and Apple's "Central Park." Aside from "The Amber Ruffin Show," Ruffin frequently travels the country hosting various events that include the 2023 PFLAG 50th Anniversary Gala, 2022 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and 2022 Neiman Marcus' White Elephant holiday luncheon, 2022 Inc. Magazine 5000 Conference Gala and the 2022 EBONY Power 100 Gala. She and her sister Lacey co-host "The Current" podcast. Ruffin also co-wrote the Tony-winning musical "Some Like It Hot," (produced by Mariah Carey), which is currently running on Broadway, and "The Wiz" (produced by Common), which will tour before ending on Broadway.