CNN is unwrapping some holiday cheer this month, picking up a primetime variety special hosted by Roy Wood Jr. to supplement its core news programming.
The program, called A CNN Special Event: Roy Wood Jr.’s Very Very Very Merry Holiday Special, will run on CNN (and stream on CNN’s subscription tier) Sunday, Dec. 14 at 8 PM. The special will be hosted by Wood from Washington D.C., joined by surprise guests from across comedy and music, as well as the U.S. Air Force Band.
Wood, of course, is a CNN stalwart, hosting its topical comedy series Have I Got News For You. A former Daily Show correspondent, Woods has hosted the 2025 Writers Guild Awards, The 46th Peabody Awards, and the 2025 MLB Awards alongside Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts, all this year.
“I was hoping the White House ballroom would be done by then for us to shoot this special there but I’m understanding construction is a little behind,” Wood Jr. said in a statement. “Nonetheless, I’m excited to celebrate the holidays, while honoring our troops and our government workers and also having an opportunity to re-wear my nice green jacket from the Peabody Awards but this time with a little red in it.”
CNN has sought to establish a programming footprint around key holiday tentpoles. Its New Year’s Eve broadcast hosted by Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen has become a staple of its calendar, and it has also launched Thanksgiving and July 4 event programming.
Roy Wood Jr.’s Very Very Very Merry Holiday Special is being produced for CNN by Hat Trick Productions, the same company behind Have I Got News For You.
