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Despite lip-syncing being a standard practice for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade broadcast on NBC, viewers are still pretty pissed about it. A cavalcade of musical artists appeared on the NBCUniversal-owned channel’s broadcast — such as The Temptations, War, Coco Jones, Dasha, and Ariana Madix. Most lip-synced songs are because of the logistics of pulling off a live performance during a tight window of time while traveling on a parade float.
Regardless, many NBC viewers were so angry about the presentation — as they are every single year. Lots of people just didn’t understand why live vocals weren’t standard for everyone, as is expected on many other live TV broadcasts. Read some of the reactions trending on X below:
- “Remember when Ashlee Simpson basically had her career torpedoed because of a lip sync SNAFU yet we willingly accept every performer to do it for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.” (credit)
- “Favorite tradition is to watch all the pop stars lip sync on a float sponsored by either a food company or a tv show.” (credit)
- “It is the year TWO THOUSAND TWENTY FOUR! Why are we still making everyone lip sync at the parade?” (credit)
- “Watching the Macy’s parade. It’s like all the dancers and bands learned a piece of music, practiced performance and now they’re surmounting the crappy weather with their effort. Then a celeb rolls out and lip-syncs. They should cut all phonies and highlight more talent!” (credit)
- “The blatant lip-synching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade will always be my favorite. They don’t even try.” (credit)
One more X post that we wanted to highlight, from user @tgain83, reads: “Yes, everyone is lip-syncing at the Macy’s Parade you did not ‘catch’ anyone, no need to call anyone out. It’s a mobile event that’s not conducive to live television. We don’t have to do this every year.”
How to Watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for Free
The 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is airing on NBC two times on Thursday. The live broadcast is now on until noon ET. NBC will then air the National Dog Show from noon to 2 p.m. ET, before shifting over to an encore showing of the parade broadcast from 2-5 p.m. ET. NBC broadcasts are free to anyone with a digital antenna.
For those without a way to receive the NBC broadcast free and over the air, the network is available from most cable/satellite providers. Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, is also simulcasting coverage.
Jimmy Fallon was one of the first guests on NBC Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast, and he left viewers puzzled. The Tonight Show host popped by to promote his new Christmas album, Holiday Seasoning, and chat with hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie. However, his fashion accessories and behavior raised eyebrows.
Firstly, he was wearing sunglasses — despite New York City being very gloomy and rainy during the interview. He jokingly played off the choice of eyewear, sarcastically saying, “It’s so bright here.” As the brief interview went on, Fallon tried to keep spirits high as he goofed around a bit, dancing around while singing “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora).”
The segment abruptly ended as the ETSU marching band walked behind the Saturday Night Live alum, messing up his ability to hear Kotb and Guthrie. The hosts tried to relay a fan question to him, but they were unsuccessful. Fallon remarked, “I can’t even hear you,” before departing. The Today personalities perfectly played off the moment and moved on as Fallon prepared to appear in the parade.
Viewers were taken aback by the early morning segment, with many commenting on Fallon’s attire and how the segment went wrong. One reaction labeled it as “weird and awkward.”
One NBC viewer wrote, “Jimmy Fallon segment is an absolute disaster. Can’t hear each other. And this audience interaction segment honestly feels like time filler.” A second person wrote, “Not Jimmy Fallon cutting off the fan asking a question [laugh emojis].”
Some people even baselessly questioned Fallon’s sobriety during the segment, but some simply just chose to use him as a symbol of “hangover energy.”
“Jimmy Fallon wearing sunglasses in the rain is the big hangover energy America can relate to today,” one X user wrote.
Another person wrote, “I need a little of whatever Jimmy Fallon had this morning.”
A live performance misfire led to an awkward few minutes on NBC’s broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The War and Treaty were set to perform while riding the Balsam Hills’ “Deck the Halls” float. However, their music didn’t start, leaving the country music duo awkwardly standing around. This mishap happened as NBC was already facing criticism for having performers lip-sync most of their performances yet again.
NBC then kicked over to the hosting panel, which consisted of Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, and Hoda Kotb. Kotb acknowledged that there were technical difficulties, saying, “Every now and then there’s a little hiccup.”
Despite the awkwardness, Guthrie made sure to praise The War and Treaty as an “incredible band.” Kotb then filled time by praising the parade’s marching bands, with Roker praising all the dancers featured in the event. NBC awkwardly moved on to talk about the new Elf on the Shelf balloon (which also featured the Arctic fox character Extraordinary Noorah) before cutting to commercial.
Luckily, the band returned after the break. Their segment, performing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” then proceeded as intended. NBC slightly picked up the pace for the remainder of the broadcast due to the time constraints the delay caused. It’s unclear if NBC will edit out the snafu in the encore presentation.
How to Watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for Free
In case you missed the initial Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast, NBC is re-airing it later Thursday afternoon. NBC will then air the National Dog Show from noon to 2 p.m. ET, before shifting over to an encore showing of the parade broadcast from 2-5 p.m. ET. NBC broadcasts are free to anyone with a digital antenna.
For those without a way to receive the NBC broadcast free and over the air, the network is available from most cable/satellite providers. Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, is also simulcasting coverage.
A giant, golden Thanksgiving turkey in a top hat rode on a float through confetti in the colors of fall leaves. A muscular Spider-Man balloon floated in the air, crouched in a web-spinning pose. From a sled piled high with presents, Santa Claus waved to spectators.
These were some of the sights at the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as it wended its way along a 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) route through central Manhattan on Thursday, 100 years after it was first staged in 1924.
This year’s revelry featured 17 helium-filled character balloons, including a yellow-skinned, blue-overalled Minion from the “Despicable Me” animated franchise, and 22 floats, one of them topped by a torch-hoisting Statue of Liberty.
Eleven marching bands came from as far away as Texas and South Dakota to join 700 clowns, 10 performing groups, and celebrity guests in the procession.
Despite a soaking rain and temperatures hovering around 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 Celsius), onlookers crowded the parade route, clad in plastic ponchos and huddled under umbrellas. From inside buildings, kids pressed up against glass windows to marvel at the spectacle.