Jennifer Aniston, Jimmy Kimmel, Amy Poehler and Octavia Spencer are set to appear and celebrate television producing and writing giant Norman Lear during ABC’s upcoming tribute special “Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter,” which airs Thursday, Sept. 22 at 9 p.m. ET.
Honoring the life and legacy of the pioneering storyteller, activist and philanthropist, the one-night-only celebration will feature intimate conversations, special performances and surprise reunions that pay homage to the man behind some of TV’s greatest stories in celebration of his 100th birthday. The tribute was announced on July 27, which coincided with Lear’s centennial.
“I’ve always believed music and laughter have added time to my life. I’ve seen a lot throughout my 100 years, but I would’ve never imagined America having a front-row seat to my birthday celebration,” Lear said.
“Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter” is produced by Done+Dusted, with executive producers David Jammy, Brent Miller, Garrett English, Raj Kapoor and Eric Cook. James Merryman is the director.
Lear is behind some of the most well-known programming in TV history, including iconic shows of the 1970s and ‘80s like “All in the Family,” “Good Times,” “The Jeffersons,” “Maude” and “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.” More recently, he served as executive producer to the critically acclaimed reimagining of “One Day at a Time,” which ran for four seasons and was the first Netflix series to be renewed for network television (PopTV and CBS). Lear executive produces and co-hosts “Live in Front of a Studio Audience…,” alongside Jimmy Kimmel, which set record ratings for ABC and won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special for two consecutive years.
Outside of the industry, he founded People For The American Way in 1980. The organization now boasts more than 1 million members and activists strong and continues to fight right-wing extremism while defending constitutional values like free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy. In 2000, The Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism was founded as a nonpartisan research and public policy center to study the social, political, economic and cultural impact of entertainment on the world.
Lear is a 2017 Kennedy Center Honoree, a 1999 recipient of the National Medal of Arts and the 2016 awardee for the Peabody Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1984, he was part of the inaugural group of inductees to the Television Academy Hall of Fame. He has won six Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe.
Additional talent and performances for “Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter” will be announced at a later date. The tribute will be available for streaming the next day on Hulu.
