CBS’ New Year’s Eve coverage will have both punchlines and power chords this year, with comedian Bert Kreischer and country artist Hardy set to headline New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, and social media star Haley Baylee reporting from Times Square.
CBS has centered its coverage in Nashville since 2021, covering the Central Time Zone’s crossing into 2026 with the drop of a music note.
Hardy will perform live during the special, adding to a lineup of previously announced performers including Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman, and special guests CeCe Winans and the Fisk Jubilee Singers.
The special will also beam in performances from a slew of artists playing in venues across the city, including Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Megan Moroney, Keith Urban, and comedian Dusty Slay.
Kreischer previously appeared as a guest on last year’s special—a moment he recalled when announcing his role as this year’s host.
“This event, which I was a very small part of last year, is so much fun,” Kreischer said. “To be working with my buddy Hardy … it feels like I should be paying CBS to do this.”
“I hope I keep my shirt on,” added the comedian, who has been known to go topless for performances. “And I promise not to drink until the stroke of midnight, unless you want me to drink earlier.”
Kreischer has enjoyed massive success as a stand-up comedian, with a lucrative touring career and six specials produced for Showtime and Netflix. And while CBS’ New Year’s Eve special marks a rare foray into hosting for the hot comic, he has drawn the line at ever lording over Studio 8H. .
Kreischer previously told the Saturday Night Network that he’d be reluctant to host Saturday Night Live. “Hosting terrifies me,” he admitted. “I would rather swim with sharks in open water for television than go out and have to deliver a monologue on SNL.”
Kreischer was most recently seen in late-night in March, guesting on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on the heels of his latest Netflix stand-up special, Lucky.
New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash will air live on CBS Wednesday, December 31, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT. After a 30-minute break for local news at 10 p.m., it will return live through 1:30 a.m. ET/PT.
Other NYE programming on tap this year includes ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026 (with hosts Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora in Times Square, Julianne Hough and Rob Gronkowski in Las Vegas, and Chance the Rapper in Chicago); CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen; and NBC’s A Toast to 2025! (hosted by Today‘s Hota Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager).
