David Byrne Mystifies NBC Viewers on Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton's New Year's Eve Special

By Michael Hein

NBC's New Year's Eve special delivered an eclectic selection of guests to ring in 2023, including iconic singer-songwriter David Byrne. Byrne took the stage late in the night to join co-host Miley Cyrus for a two-song duet, and social media was perplexed. The commentary got very heated very fast.

This was the second year of Miley's New Year's Even Party on NBC, this time co-hosted by Dolly Parton. If those two names weren't enough to draw you in, the show also included performances by Sia, Rae Sremmurd, FLETCHER, Liily and Latto, among others. All of them sparked conversations on social media, but Byrne's appearance in particular caused a clash of the generations that set the timeline ablaze. It may also be worth noting that his performance came late in the night when many commenters may have had a few drinks to celebrate the occasion.

Byrne, 70, is best known as the frontman of the band Talking Heads. He has also worked extensively as a solo artist, a writer, a filmmaker and an artist in all kinds of disciplines. His fans were quick to list his accomplishments on Sunday night – especially when they saw "slander" from those less familiar with him.

On the other hand, many viewers found Byrne's performance confusing and incongruous at first, and they weren't shy about saying so. Byrne took the stage by singing a David Bowie song with Cyrus, leading some to question whether there had been some kind of mix-up behind the scenes. Additionally, Byrne's distinctive voice was off-putting to some unfamiliar viewers, but they could not have predicted how they would be punished for criticizing him.

Byrne's New Year's Eve performances are available to watch in clips on social media or on NBC's streaming service Peacock. Here's a look at how viewers reacted to his unexpected guest performances.

Generation Gap

First, commenters quickly drew lines between generations in discussing Byrne. They felt that younger viewers simply weren't aware of his reputation, or the fact that his unique voice was celebrated by his fans for decades.

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Freedom

Die-hard fans felt that Byrne had earned the right to perform any songs at any venue he wanted, and should not be considered out of place.

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Theorizing

Given Byrne's quirky reputation and the utter surprise of this appearance, many fans theorized that he was a last-minute addition to the lineup. Perhaps, they speculated, he had even asked for the honor himself.

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Name Mixup

Along the same lines, fans theorized about how Byrne wound up singing a David Bowie song when he first took the stage, thinking that the similarity in names might not be a coincidence.

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Matching Energy

Seeing Cyrus perform alongside Byrne, many fans felt like this was a great match and wondered why it had never been done before. Some even joked that Cyrus might have been more at home as a celebrity in the 1970s rather than the last two decades.

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Original Music

While Byrne's fans defended him from criticism, they had complaints of their own. Many wondered why he was singing covers, with just one of his own original songs. They also wished that his band, Talking Heads had been able to join him.

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Confused

Finally, fans joked that Byrne seemed as confused as anyone by his own appearance on this show. They quoted his own song to reference the awkward moments.

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