Eminem and Paul Rosenberg have made their second Thanksgiving pick for Detroit, and it is Wu-Tang Clan. The Staten Island hip-hop group will headline halftime of the Lions’ 87th annual Thanksgiving Day Classic against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field on Thursday, November 26.
The Lions revealed the booking on Sunday, November 1, at 11:45 a.m. ET (6:45 p.m. in Cairo), a little more than an hour before they kicked off against the Vikings. Kickoff on Thanksgiving is at 1 p.m. ET on CBS, which is 8 p.m. in Cairo.
The Lions announce Wu-Tang Clan as headliner of their Thanksgiving Halftime Show.
Picked by Eminem and his manager
This is the second year of a multi-year deal under which Eminem and Rosenberg, his longtime manager and the president of Shady Records, choose the act and serve as executive producers of the show. Their first pick, in 2025, was Jack White, and Eminem made a surprise appearance during that set.
“We often like to do things that are both exciting and unexpected. A Wu-Tang Clan Thanksgiving performance in Detroit certainly fits that description!” Rosenberg said. “Both Eminem and myself have been Wu fans since the early 90’s along with a whole generation of Detroit football fans, and we are honored to bring them to this year’s stage.”
Lions president and CEO Rich Haddad called the Thanksgiving Day Classic “one of the greatest traditions in sports” and Wu-Tang Clan “one of the greatest performers in music.” The show is presented by Verizon.
The club had been teasing the reveal since Friday night, when it posted a short clip of the Detroit skyline with the Thanksgiving Halftime Show logo and the date 11.1.26.
The Lions’ teaser for the Thanksgiving Halftime Show reveal.
A farewell tour and a Hall of Fame class
The booking comes as Wu-Tang Clan finishes its global farewell tour, Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber. The group is also part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2026 class. It has released eight group albums, three of them quadruple-platinum, and its full catalog, solo projects included, runs to more than 85 full-length releases.
Founded on Staten Island, New York, in the early 1990s, the group is RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard. It has toured as a unit since its 1993 debut.
Antonio Cipriano will sing the anthem
Michigan-born actor and recording artist Antonio Cipriano, who has worked in film, television and on Broadway, will sing the national anthem before the game.
The Lions name Antonio Cipriano as their Thanksgiving anthem singer.
Detroit goes into the holiday stretch at 5-2 after beating the previously unbeaten Vikings 19-15 on Sunday, with Jared Goff’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams with 4:35 left. The win was muted by a neck injury to linebacker Jack Campbell, who was taken to a hospital. The Four Tops played halftime at Ford Field that afternoon, their first show in the building since Super Bowl XL in 2006, and Detroit rapper Skilla Baby performed before kickoff.
Skilla Baby’s pregame performance at Ford Field on Sunday.
Thanksgiving week halftime shows, with Cairo times
Four of the five Week 12 holiday games now have a halftime headliner. U2 will play the first Thanksgiving Eve game, as covered in our U2 story, Miranda Lambert headlines the Cowboys’ Red Kettle Kickoff show, as covered in our Miranda Lambert story, and the Goo Goo Dolls play the Bills’ first home Thanksgiving game, as covered in our Goo Goo Dolls story. Only the Steelers have yet to name an act for their first Black Friday home game. Cairo times use Egyptian winter time.
| Date (ET) | Game | Kickoff ET | Kickoff Cairo | Halftime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed Nov 25 | Packers at Rams, SoFi Stadium | 8:00 p.m. | 03:00 Thu Nov 26 | U2 |
| Thu Nov 26 | Bears at Lions, Ford Field | 1:00 p.m. | 20:00 | Wu-Tang Clan |
| Thu Nov 26 | Eagles at Cowboys, AT&T Stadium | 4:30 p.m. | 23:30 | Miranda Lambert |
| Thu Nov 26 | Chiefs at Bills, Highmark Stadium | 8:20 p.m. | 03:20 Fri Nov 27 | Goo Goo Dolls |
| Fri Nov 27 | Broncos at Steelers, Acrisure Stadium | 3:00 p.m. | 22:00 | Not yet announced |
At the Super Bowl, Jay-Z, as covered in our Super Bowl LXI halftime story, still has not named any guests for his Super Bowl LXI halftime show at SoFi Stadium on February 14.
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