Sheryl Crow and John Legend Lead CBS's 'America's Tailgate' Special from Nashville on Labor Day
Sheryl Crow and John Legend will headline "America's Tailgate On CBS," a prime-time special airing Labor Day, September 7, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ — a blend of live music, football talk and outdoor cooking broadcast from Nashville. Billboard
Chase Rice and Gabby Barrett round out the musical lineup, bringing country credentials to a special timed to the start of the NFL season. The co-hosts are Nate Burleson, who appears on both "CBS Mornings" and CBS Sports' "The NFL Today," and CBS Sports' Melanie Collins.
The football side of the lineup leans on familiar CBS names and active players. NFL MVP Josh Allen, who is also an executive producer on the project, will appear alongside "The NFL Today" analyst Kyle Long and quarterback Russell Wilson. Canadian flag football gold medallists — quarterback Sara Parker and wide receiver Caroline Moquin-Joubert — will also feature, a nod to the sport's Olympic profile after flag football's debut at the Paris Games.
Chef Keith Corbin will lead outdoor cooking segments, giving the special a tailgate-party texture beyond the stage and the studio desk.
Behind the cameras, the production roster is long. "America's Tailgate On CBS" is produced by Skydance Sports, NFL Films, EverWonder Studio, Lost Tribe Studio and Down Home — the last of which is the entertainment, media and marketing company Tim McGraw launched in 2023 as a collaboration between McGraw, his management company EM.Co and social content studio Shareability. McGraw is among the executive producers, joined by Allen, Chris Castallo, Tim Staples, Brian Kaplan, Joel Bergvall, Danny Meiseles, Jesse Sisgold, Jason Reed, Jon Weinbach, Lauren Gaffney, Ross Ketover, Keith Cossrow, Ken Rodgers, Jessica Boddy, Michael Antinoro and Sarah Levine Hall.
Sisgold, who serves as president of both Paramount Sports Entertainment and Skydance Sports, said the special will "bring the party to Nashville," pulling together music, food, football and fans in a single broadcast.
What makes the line-up stand out is its cross-genre casting. Crow, a nine-time Grammy winner rooted in rock and country-adjacent pop, and Legend, an R&B singer-songwriter with an EGOT to his name, sit alongside country hitmakers Rice and Barrett — a billing designed to pull viewers who might tune in for football but stay for a song, and vice versa.
For CBS, the special sits in a prime slot: the Sunday evening before the NFL's regular-season opener, when football audiences are already locked in. For Paramount+, it adds another live event to a streaming catalogue that has leaned heavily on sports and music tie-ins.
