Elle King Says ‘You Never Know What’s Going to Happen’ During CBS’ New Year’s Eve Broadcast (Exclusive)

This Saturday, CBS is ringing in 2023 with New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, an epic holiday spectacular featuring some of the biggest names in country music. The special will be co-hosted by singer-songwriters Elle King and Jimmy Allen, as well as Entertainment Tonight correspondent Rachel Smith. PopCulture.com recently had a chance to speak with King about the upcoming event and she teased, “You never know what’s going to happen.”

King then quipped, “And can you believe that they’re going to be giving me a microphone?” She also joked that she is “very clumsy” and in many ways doesn’t even “know what’s going to happen” herself. “So I’m just going to try and look straight ahead,” she added, “They let me make jokes. And I’ll be around some of my friends, and I’m excited to get to introduce a lot of performances. There’s some wild collaborations that I can’t tell you ’cause I don’t want to blow the surprise. But this is definitely a show you don’t want to miss. And I feel very grateful that I get to be a part of people’s New Year. That’s pretty cool.”

Noting some of the big performances that she’s eager to catch, King said, “My co-host, Jimmy Allen, is going to perform. And he’s just so unbelievably sweet, so he’s become a friend, and I love him. I can’t wait to see his performance. Sheryl Crow, the goddess that is Sheryl Crow. Ashley McBryde, Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson…The War And Treaty. And then did I say Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan? Jason Aldean? Everybody.”

King and Bentley have a couple of duets together — 2016’s “Different for Girls” from Bentley’s eighth album Black, and “Worth a Shot” from King’s forthcoming new album — and when we asked if there’s a chance the pair will perform together, she jokingly replied, “What I’ll tell you is that Dierks said ‘No.’” She added, “I’m just kidding, I’m just kidding.”

The singer then noted, “I feel like, unfortunately, I’m a little bit limited, but also, fortunately, I’m limited because I’m bouncing around doing hosting stuff. So I don’t get to do as much or be as involved. But I still get to sing. But I get to introduce people, and I get to be around and just celebrate, which is what I do best.” New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash airs live from Music City, Saturday, Dec. 31 (starting at 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT and continuing from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. Those interested in trying out a free trial of Paramount+ can do so by clicking here.