Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard Singing Together at Joe Biden Inauguration TV Special

Adam Carlson
·3 min read

John Shearer/Getty; Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic; Jason Kempin//Getty From left: Tim McGraw, Joe Biden and Tyler Hubbard

Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard will join a slew of other stars at Wednesday night's primetime TV special after Joe Biden is sworn-in as president, organizers tell PEOPLE exclusively.

The country stars are expected to sing their new song "Undivided" — a message, as Hubbard said, of ever-more-important unity (and a parallel with Biden's own campaign).

Speaking with CBS This Morning last week, Hubbard, 33, (one half of Florida Georgia Line) said that when he learned of the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol this month, "I thought, 'Man, I thought we needed this message last year.' "

"I didn't think we could need it anymore than we needed it last year, but apparently we still do," he said then.

"The capitol thing [is] something that I don't know that I've processed well enough to even put into words yet," McGraw, 53, also told CBS This Morning. "It was so sad and so profound and something that I never thought I would see in this country."

"But the song, it speaks to more of the social contract that we have with each other," he added. "It's not about politics, it's about how we're supposed to treat each other."

In addition to McGraw and Hubbard, Black Pumas will perform and Luis Fonsi and Ozuna will appear as part of a special edition of DJ Cassidy's Pass the Mic, inaugural organizers said Tuesday.

The unprecedented inauguration of Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris — amid a pandemic and massively heightened security after the rioting — will be followed by the primetime TV special hosted by Tom Hanks, in lieu of the usual nightly glitz and glamour, in what the inaugural team is calling a "capstone" to "showcase the American people's resilience, heroism, and unified commitment to coming together."

The 90-minute program will air on the major broadcast and cable news networks, except for Fox, who is streaming it instead, according to a news release from the inauguration team.

The special will include remarks by both Biden, 78, and Harris, 56, as well as celebrity performances.

Ant Clemons, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Justin Timberlake will all appear, as will Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen and others.

What's more, the special will spotlight ordinary people "who have stepped up in their communities," including a delivery man, an 8-year-old boy and a kindergarten teacher .

Clemons and Timberlake will sing their "Better Days," which they wrote.

Timberlake said on the Today show on Wednesday that he was "incredibly excited" by the opportunity, calling it an "honor."

"We got the phone call to be asked for that and I was like, 'Uhh yes,' " he said jokingly.

The inauguration special "Celebrating America" airs Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET) on ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and NBC as well as online via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • A former Russian tycoon who once led separatist region launches a hunger strike in Azerbaijan jail

    TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A former Russian tycoon jailed in Azerbaijan on charges stemming from his time as a top separatist figure in the Karabakh region has gone on a hunger strike, his family said Friday. Ruben Vardanyan started the fast two weeks ago to press demands for a speedy trial, news agencies cited the family as saying. Vardanyan cofounded Troika Dialog, once among Russia's top investment banks, and amassed wealth estimated at reaching $1 billion. In 2022, he renounced his Russian citi

  • Telecom Italia's grid sale on track as KKR informs EU of buyout plan

    U.S. investment company KKR has sent European Union antitrust authorities a formal notice about its proposed buyout of Telecom Italia's (TIM) fixed-line access network, the former phone monopoly said on Friday. TIM said the confirmation it had received from KKR indicated that the project was progressing according to schedule. TIM has agreed to sell its domestic network to KKR for up to 22 billion euros ($23.5 billion) as part of a government-backed plan aimed at cutting debt and relaunching the group.

  • Previewing the 1st round of the NBA playoffs, which start on Saturday

    Preview capsules for the first round of the NBA playoffs, which start Saturday. ___ EASTERN CONFERENCE No. 2 NEW YORK KNICKS (50-32) vs. No. 7 PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (47-35) Season series: Knicks, 3-1. Story line: The Knicks finished with their best record and highest seed since winning 54 games in 2012-13. They didn't get much of a reward for that, with the opponent being a 76ers team that surged after Joel Embiid returned from knee surgery, winning their final eight games of the regular season and

  • Here are the Reasons to Invest in Paycom Software (PAYC)

    Polen Capital, an investment management company, released its “Polen Focus Growth Strategy” first quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the same can be downloaded here. The US stock market started 2024 optimistically. In the first quarter, the fund returned 8.29% (gross) and 8.09% (net) compared to 11.41% for the Russell 1000 Growth Index and […]

  • Biden administration moves to restrict oil and gas leases on 13m acres in Alaska

    Environmentalists celebrate new rules but Alaska politicians call it an ‘illegal’ attack on state’s livelihood and predict lawsuits

  • Worshipers in Iran chant "Death to Israel" hours after suspected drone attack

    Worshipers in Tehran chanted slogans against Israel hours after an apparent Israeli drone strike in Iran. It came days after Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on Israel. (AP Video: Mohsen Ganji)

  • Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

    Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript April 18, 2024 Spencer Wang: Good afternoon, and welcome to the Netflix Q1 2024 Earnings Interview. I’m Spencer Wang, VP of Finance, IR and Corporate Development. Joining me today are Co-CEOs, Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters; and CFO, Spence Neumann. As a reminder, we will be making […]

  • The NBA playoffs are finally here. And as LeBron James says, 'it's a sprint now'

    There’s a 64-win team in Boston that ran away with the league’s best record. The defending champions in Denver, a group that won 57 games. A fearless young bunch in Oklahoma City, whose No. 1 seed was no fluke. A trio of Villanova alums in New York, who turned the Knicks into a real contender. And, once again, there’s LeBron James, too. The NBA playoffs are about to begin with the Celtics and Nuggets the heavy favorites — at least according to BetMGM Sportsbook — to collide in the Finals, and no

  • Musk recalls Tesla Cybertrucks over ‘unintended acceleration’

    Tesla has recalled thousands of Cybertrucks after US regulators found that the new vehicle’s pedals could get stuck and lead the car to accelerate unintentionally.

  • ‘Only in Rio’: South Korea’s ambassador to Brazil is an unlikely samba star

    Lim Ki-mo’s first heard Brazilian music 50 years ago in his home town of Busan; now his consular crooning marks a triumph of soft power

  • These pillow sandals are 'incredibly soft, yet supportive' — and they're on sale for under $30

    Step into sandal season with these "super comfy" slides.

  • His goal likely saved Ferguson's job at Man United. Now Coventry coach could push Ten Hag near exit

    MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Before Eric Cantona, David Beckham or Cristiano Ronaldo, there was Mark Robins. The list of Manchester United greats is long but Robins is not on it. Yet he is widely regarded as the man who saved former manager Alex Ferguson his job and provided the platform for more than two decades of success. On Sunday, Robins could push current United coach Erik ten Hag closer to the brink by leading his second-tier Coventry team to a shock win over United in the FA Cup semifinals

  • Spectacular Sunset Bathes San Francisco in Red and Yellow

    A spectacular sunset bathed the San Francisco skyline in red and yellow on Wednesday, April 17.Photographer Shreenivasan Manievannan captured this spectacular timelapse footage showing the sun passing behind the Salesforce Tower and other buildings in the city before disappearing.According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the gorgeous sunset on Wednesday was caused by a high-pressure system known as “dirty ridge.” Credit: Shreenivasan Manievannan via Storyful

  • An unaccountable net zero elite has seized control of Britain

    “Liz is the Grinch who wants to stop Christmas!”

  • Dubai struggles to return to normality after 3 killed in devastating floods

    The exact number of deaths caused by the storm is not yet known

  • UPDATE 1-BoE's Ramsden says inflation could hold around 2% target over next three years

    Bank of England Deputy Governor Dave Ramsden said on Friday that inflation could hold around the central bank's 2% target for the next three years rather than rise higher later this year as set out in the BoE's most recent forecasts. Figures showed on Wednesday that Britain's annual consumer price inflation fell to 3.2% in March from 3.4% in February, extending its drop from a peak of 11.1% in October 2022. The BoE has said it expects inflation to hit or undershoot its 2% target in April, thanks in large part to weaker energy prices, before rising closer to 3% by the end of this year.

  • Fed's Goolsbee: 'It makes sense to wait' before cutting rates

    One of the Fed's more dovish officials said Friday that 'progress on inflation has stalled' and that 'it makes sense to wait' before cutting interest rates.

  • IMF says still 'differences' with Ethiopia over new loan programme

    There are still "differences" between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ethiopia over a loan and reforms package, but talks are continuing, a senior IMF official said on Friday. Ethiopia may need to devalue its birr currency, which is trading on the black market about 50% weaker than the official rate against the U.S. dollar, to secure the support of the IMF. "Negotiations are ongoing," IMF Mission Chief for Ethiopia Alvaro Piris Chavarri told reporters at the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington.

  • Princess Amalia of the Netherlands dazzling gold bag is influencer-approved

    For the third day of the Spanish state visit, she the heir to the Dutch throne donned a gold bag from influencer-adored label Marina Raphael - read more

  • Ukraine, Israel aid back on track as House pushes past hardliners toward weekend vote

    WASHINGTON (AP) — With rare bipartisan momentum, the House sidelined hard-right conservatives and prepared Friday to push a $95 billion national security aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies over a key procedural hurdle, closer to passage. House Speaker Mike Johnson had spent the past 24 hours making the rounds on conservative media working to salvage the wartime funding, particularly for Ukraine as it faces a critical moment battling Russia, but also for his own job as the rest