Bruce Springsteen and Jon Stewart Headline 20th Anniversary Stand Up for Heroes in New York

Bruce Springsteen and Jon Stewart will headline the 20th anniversary Stand Up for Heroes on Monday, November 9, 2026, at David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center, New York City, as the benefit returns to the venue under the theme "Two Decades of Honoring Our Nation's Veterans" BusinessWire.

The lineup also includes comedian Josh Johnson, former Daily Show host Hasan Minhaj, the musical act the Resilient, and singer-songwriter Alex Warren, according to Rolling Stone Rolling Stone.

Stand Up for Heroes was founded by ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff after he suffered a traumatic brain injury while reporting in Iraq in 2006. The event is co-organised by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival. To date, the fundraiser has raised more than $113 million for veterans, according to the foundation's official 2026 event page.

Springsteen has been a near-constant presence since the beginning. He performed at the first Stand Up for Heroes at New York's Town Hall in 2007 and has returned nearly every year since. At his most recent appearance in 2024, he played four songs: "The Power of Prayer," "Land of Hope and Dreams," "Dancing in the Dark," and "Long Walk Home."

The 20th-anniversary edition brings the show back to Lincoln Center after prior years saw it held at venues including the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden and the Town Hall. The Bob Woodruff Foundation, which co-produces the event, channels proceeds into programmes supporting injured service members, veterans, and their families.

For a night that pairs rock and comedy, the draw has always been straightforward: big names, short sets, and a cause that long predates the headlines of any given year. Twenty editions in, the format has barely wavered, and Springsteen's recurring role has made him the closest thing the fundraiser has to a house band.