Thanksgiving 2023 Halftime Shows: Dolly Parton Scores, Jack Harlow Fumbles

When it came to halftime performances this Thanksgiving, all must bow down to Dolly Parton.

Fresh off of releasing her star-studded Rockstar album, Parton, 77, performed at halftime during the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders game on Thursday, November 23. As expected, she crushed it while dressed up like a Cowboys cheerleader (with her trademark rhinestones). Viewers raved over Parton’s performance, many remarking that she is a “national treasure.”

Sadly, the same could not be said for Jack Harlow. The 25-year-old rapper was tasked with entertaining those who tuned in to see the Green Bay Packers take on the Detroit Lions. Fans torched Harlow’s performance and the lackluster igloo-themed set, saying it was like “the live-action production of Club Penguin.”

At least viewers were able to see Harlow’s performance. Steve Aoki got utterly rejected, like the potato salad-with-raisins that someone thought would be a great addition to a Thanksgiving meal. As Aoki, 45, was set to play the halftime show for the Seattle Seahawks / San Francisco 49ers showdown, the broadcast cut to commercials, meaning that no one but those at Lumen Field got to see his antics.

Continue reading for a rundown of the highlights (and lowlights) of the 2023 Thanksgiving Halftime Shows.

Dolly Parton

Parton continued to show why she’s one of the most beloved performers with her halftime show. Turning AT&T Stadium into her stage, Parton – dressed in a sparkly version of a Cowboys cheerleader outfit – played a quick six-minute show where she kicked off with “Jolene,” her 1973 hit. From there, she went into “9 to 5,” the workers’ anthem and theme song to her 1980 comedy (that also starred Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin). Parton then finished her performance with an abridged version of Queen’s “We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions.”

The NFL posted the full performance on YouTube shortly afterward. “Dolly never ceases to amaze us,” wrote one fan in the comments section. “I mean, who doesn’t love Dolly!?” asked another. “She is an inspiration to all us old ladies and beyond! You go, girl!” wrote a third fan, while one summed up what everyone was thinking: “Dolly Parton is a national treasure.”

Jack Harlow

Many viewers threw the penalty flag on Harlow’s set. Harlow had the task of entertaining the crowd at Detroit’s Ford Field, which would not be easy. It didn’t help when Harlow came out of an igloo that one fan said looked like it cost “$49.99.” Another fan posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Harlow’s set was a child’s Frozen playset. Others said Harlow’s shabby appearance, glasses, and outfit made him look like Ming Ming (Peter Billingsley) from Elf.

“Jack Harlow really stole his church’s VBS decorations for the Thanksgiving halftime show,” joked one fan. As for the performance, Harlow went through his songs “Tyler Herro,” “WHATS POPPIN,” “INDUSTRY BABY” (the song he did with Lil Nas X), “First Class” and “Lovin On Me.” It seemingly failed to win fans over.

“If Jack Harlow was smart, he’d come on here and simply tweet, ‘Miss Dolly ate me TF up during halftime, didn’t she?’” posted one fan.

Steve Aoki

If NFL fans can’t remember seeing Aoki play the halftime show during the Thanksgiving game between the 49ers and the Seahawks, that’s because it didn’t make it to air. As Aoki was about to play, NBC decided it was time to run some commercials, completely cutting Aoki’s set from the broadcast.

“Steve Aoki’s halftime show was like 30 seconds long,” posted on fan on X, sharing the brief footage of Aoki hyping up the crowd before NBC decided to run some ads. What fans eventually missed was Aoki throwing a sheet cake into the face of Seattle’s mascot, Blitz.