Ah, Thanksgiving: It’s a time for family, food, and the annual online meltdown over something as shocking as pop star lip-syncing on a parade float in 40-degree weather. It’s truly a tradition unlike any other.
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Of course, performers at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade lip-sync—singing live in front of millions, while battling unpredictable weather and competing with noisy floats, isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
Yet, from the cozy thrones of their couches, pre-gaming with pumpkin spice lattes and gearing up to devour mountains of turkey, viewers at home transform into armchair critics, dishing out ruthless verdicts on lip-syncing parade performers with the precision of a carving knife.
For instance, last year, despite the rainy weather and frigid temperatures, viewers took to social media to complain about alleged lip-syncing from performers like Billy Porter, Alicia Keys, and a cavalcade of Broadway stars.
“This has to be the last year of Lip Synching at the Macy’s Day Parade it has hit an all time low!” one outraged TV viewer insisted on social media.
“The lip syncing in the Macy’s Parade performers is the worst. I’d rather hear a breathless struggle performance than this,’ another fan parade connoisseur wrote alongside a GIF of a bemused Michael Scott from The Office.
The lip syncing in the Macy’s Parade performers is the worst. I’d rather hear a breathless struggle performance than this. pic.twitter.com/BBbWNYouVA
— Kam Walker (@KamWalker) November 28, 2024
“I miss when performers had to actually perform,” a third parade lover whined, hopelessly confused that this is how it’s been done for decades.
Unsurprisingly, this year was no different…
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Broadcast Viewer Have Meltdowns Over Lip Syncing Performers… Again
See some of the annoyed reactions to the 2025 parade below:
- “Is bad lip syncing a pre-requisite to perform on the macy’s thanksgiving parade? I swear it gets worse every year, like they’re leaning into it for s—s and giggles” (source)
- “The Lip Syncing is HORRIBLE this year in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I remember when they actually sang songs.” (source)
- “I’m not one to criticize the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade but I can definitely lip sync Shaggy’s songs better than Shaggy.” (source)
- “It’s almost 2026 and they still haven’t figured out how to stop the terrible Lip Syncing at the Thanksgiving parade” (source)
- “i love how the macy’s thanksgiving day parade doesn’t even try to hide the fact that everyone is lip-syncing” (source)
Want to join or critique the lip-syncing fun? The 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs twice on NBC this Thursday. The live broadcast began at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones on NBC with an encore airing at 2 p.m. ET/PT.
If you don’t have an antenna to watch the free NBC broadcast, you can also find it on most cable/satellite providers. Alternatively, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, will be simulcasting the coverage.