Going home for Thanksgiving… to perform at the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Halftime show.
This afternoon, it was announced that Miranda Lambert will headline The Salvation Army’s Annual Red Kettle Kickoff Halftime Show during the Dallas Cowboys’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles for the 30th consecutive Salvation Army Red Kettle Kickoff halftime show this year.
The game will air on Fox on Thursday, November 26th, shining a spotlight on the needs of millions during the holiday season and throughout the year.
This year marks The Salvation Army’s 136th Red Kettle Campaign, and over the last three decades, the kickoff performance has become a holiday staple, using one of the biggest national stages in sports to help the Red Kettle Campaign raise more than $3.4 billion.
Of course, they have featured country artists for the last several years in Lainey Wilson in 2024, Dolly Parton in 2023 (iconic), and Luke Combs in 2022, and Miranda’s fellow Texas native Post Malone headlined the Thanksgiving halftime show last year.
Country music and football just goes together, so it would make a ton of sense for them to continue the streak and have another country artist of sorts perform again this year, and they announced Miranda as the headliner with a cute video featuring the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders:
Miranda says she’s excited to help kick off The Salvation Army’s 2026 campaign this year:
“There’s something special about how music brings people together, especially when it’s to spread joy and hope to families who need it most. The Salvation Army and the Dallas Cowboys have built an incredible tradition with the Red Kettle Kickoff, and I can’t wait to be back home in Texas this Thanksgiving to help carry it forward.”
Charlotte Jones, chief brand officer and co-owner of the Dallas Cowboys,
“The Red Kettle Kickoff has become one of the Dallas Cowboys’ proudest traditions and one my family and our entire organization look forward to every Thanksgiving. For 30 years, incredible artists have appeared on our halftime stage to help The Salvation Army bring hope to millions of people in need.
We’re grateful to Miranda Lambert for joining that legacy and helping us continue this meaningful tradition.”
It was Charlotte who first helped come up with the idea to do the Cowboys Thanksgiving Halftime show in the 1990s, when her dad, Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, challenged her to inspire fans to care as much about the Cowboys’ impact off the field as they did about the game itself.
She came up with the idea to spotlight The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign during their nationally televised Thanksgiving halftime show, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Commissioner Merle Heatwole, national commander of The Salvation Army, says they’re hoping to continue the giving spirit of the Red Kettle Kickoff show with Miranda this year:
“The Red Kettle Campaign gives people a simple way to spread joy and support their neighbors in need. The Red Kettle Kickoff has brought that spirit of giving to a national audience for the last three decades.
We’re grateful to the Dallas Cowboys, the Gene and Jerry Jones family, and Miranda Lambert for helping us kick off the season by bringing attention to the needs of neighbors throughout the nation.”
Celebrating their 30th year doing this is a big deal, and I don’t think they could have picked a better artist to do the honors and I can’t wait to see what Miranda comes up with.