The NFL has unveiled a blockbuster lineup of halftime shows to compliment the trio of NFL games it has scheduled for Thanksgiving later this month.
Jack White, Post Malone and Lil Jon will all play shows to millions of Americans during the day’s football, which typically dominate viewership across the holiday.
White, best known for being in The White Stripes and writing the anthem ‘Seven Nation Army’, will headline the game between his hometown team Detroit Lions and NFC North divisional rivals Green Bay Packers.
The announcement comes days after White was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Los Angeles. Rapper Eminem, also from Detroit, will serve as executive producer for the halftime show.
But Eminem’s involvement mainly relates to booking White and is not an indication of the sound of the show. White, 50, is widely considered one of the best guitarists in music history and it will be a rock-heavy performance at Ford Field.
The Lions host the Packers in the first game of the day, which will then be followed by Dallas Cowboys against Kansas City Chiefs. Post Malone will headline that show at AT&T Stadium in Texas, the standout game of the day.
Post Maloine will perform at halftime of the Thanksgiving Cowboys-Chiefs NFL game
Detroit native Jack White will take to the stage when the Lions host Green Bay Packers
Lil Jon (right) will play in the final game of Thanksgiving when the Bengals meet the Ravens
The rapper and singer, real name Richard Post, has ties to the Chiefs. He has Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce’s signatures tattoed on his arm after losing a bet from a game of beer pong against the Kansas City duo before a show of his, which was held days after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl in 2020.
Kelce recalled once on New Heights: ‘He had a tattoo artist sitting right there, he just happened to be right there in the back room.
‘We beat him, put our signatures on a piece of paper and I’m pretty sure after the show, he went straight over to that tattoo artist and got it tattooed. Man of his word, which I f***ing respect.’
And in more recent times, Malone starred alongside Kelce’s fiancee Taylor Swift in the music video that she shot for the song ‘Fortnight’, which was from her hugely popular ‘Tortured Poets Department’ record.
Last year, Lainey Wilson performed during the Cowboys Thanksgiving game, earning rave reviews from fans online and critics.
In the last game of the day, Lil Jon will perform at halftime between the playoff-chasing Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Lil Jon has history when it comes to NFL halftime shows – he joined Usher during his Super Bowl performance in the 2024 game between the Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
This latest trio of bookings by the NFL falls against the backdrop of Bad Bunny’s controversial appointment as this season’s Super Bowl halftime performer.
Last year, Lainey Wilson won plenty of new fans with her halftime Dallas Cowboys show
Rapper Malone has Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce’s signatures tattooed onto him
There has been huge controversy around Bad Bunny performing in the Super Bowl in 2026
The Puerto Rican rapper has made no secret of his disdain for the president, Donald Trump, and had vowed not to perform in the United States because of fears his shows would be raided by ICE.
But he made an exception for the Super Bowl in San Francisco in 2026, saying in a statement: ‘What I’m feeling goes beyond myself.
‘It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history.’
The NFL partners with Jay’s Roc Nation to choose its halftime performers.
Trump, meanwhile, said: ‘I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it.
‘It’s, like, crazy. And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.’
