'Graduate Together': Air date, time, where to watch and all you need to know about the event featuring Barack Obama, Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet
All of those years of hard work, perseverance, ditching classes, evading detention, and the dreaded finals in high school are endured while dreaming about those two epic days in the senior year: prom and graduation. Sadly, for the class of 2020, the dream of pretty much it at prom and flinging off the graduation caps was quashed with a blazing pandemic wreaking havoc all over the planet. But as most schools suffered mandatory lockdowns due to Covid-19, respite comes in the form of a virtual graduation ceremony for this year's outgoing seniors to be held live across several broadcast networks in America. The Entertainment Industry Foundation, The LeBron James Family Foundation and XQ Institute have come together for 'Graduate Together: America Honors the Class of 2020' -- an hour-long special that will see artistes, athletes, musicians, commencement speakers, influencers, and cultural icons along with students, their families, and teachers lending in their support in these trying times. Here's all you need to know about it!
Air date and time
This one-hour primetime special will air on Saturday, May 16 at 8 pm ET/PT and 7 pm CT/MT.
The after-party will be held on the TikTok app, from 6 pm to 8 pm PT and 9 pm to 11 pm ET. There's also an 'after after party' to be held on the same platform from 9 pm to 11 pm PST.
Where to watch
Set to simulcast airs on all the major television networks such as ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, the special will also be available for streaming on CBS All Acess. The event will also air live on all social media platforms as well, users just have to check on the following accounts.
Facebook: @xqamerica
Twitter: @gradtogether
TikTok: @graduatetogether
YouTube: @xqamerica
Entertainment Tonight will also repeat telecast the special at 9 pm on the same day once again, and several more times in the coming week, on ETLive.com. This can be viewed on people's Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV device by downloading the ET Live app.
What is it
Curated by LeBron James in collaboration with high school students and educators across America, the special will honor high school graduates of 2020 via a list a of high profile "commencement addresses, celebrity performances and inspirational vignettes aimed at high school students, whose graduation ceremonies and proms were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, due to it causing the closure of most schools worldwide," as per the official synopsis.
Celebrities attending:
Former POTUS Barack Obama is set to take the stage of this hour-long special to offer his commencement address, honoring the Class of 2020. Along with him, there's also a star-studded ensemble that has made the cut to entertain, inspire, and encourage seniors in these times. This list includes: Kane Brown, Bad Bunny, Timothée Chalamet, Chika, Lana Condor, YBN Cordae, Charli D'Amelio, Dixie D'Amelio, David Dobrik, The Dolan Twins, Loren Gray, HER, Chris Harrison, LeBron James, Karol G, Liza Koshy, Jonas Brothers, Julianne Moore, Maren Morris, Kumail Nanjiani, Shaquille O’Neal, Brandan "Bmike" Odums, Ben Platt, Henry Platt, Jonah Platt, Megan Rapinoe, Rodney Robinson, Yara Shahidi, Lena Waithe, Olivia Wilde, Pharrell Williams, Malala Yousafzai, and of course, Zendaya.