The 2025 Stand Up to Cancer benefit will be broadcast from Nashville for the first time this year in a primetime broadcast hosted by Sheryl Crow and featuring an appearance from Dolly Parton. The one-hour Aug. 15 special will take place at Music City’s newest venue, the 4,500-capacity The Pinnacle and air at 8 p.m. ET.
Bringing together musicians, celebrities, athletes, cancer survivors and researchers, with additional performers and A-list participants to be announced soon, the show will once again air on a wide variety of platforms to reach the largest-possible audience.
“The goal of Stand Up To Cancer has always been about working collaboratively to push cancer research forward so we could help patients as quickly as possible,” said veteran journalist and SU2C co-founder Katie Couric in a statement. “Nearly two decades later, it’s incredibly gratifying and inspiring to see the impact of this research. Bringing the show to Nashville will infuse new energy and excitement into our mission. There’s still so much work to do and every dollar makes a difference—especially to the families who are counting on novel approaches and therapies as they face the challenges that often accompany a cancer diagnosis.”
The commercial-free show will be carried on more than 30 participating platforms including the four major networks (NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox), as well as CMT, AXS TV, Pluto TV, Paramount+, Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video, AMC+, Comedy Central, MTV, Disney+ and others; viewers will also be able to watch the telecast on-demand on a number of digital and streaming platform.
The biennial event was first televised in 2008, when it raised more than $100 million following a broadcast that featured Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze — who died of pancreatic cancer a year later — as well as cancer survivors Crow, Melissa Etheridge and actress Christina Applegate, with appearances from Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood and Miley Cyrus, among others. The 2023 show featured performances from Alabama Shakes singer and solo performer Brittany Howard and The Who, as well as appearances by Jessica Biel, Ken Jeong, Tig Notaro, Julianne More and Justin Timberlake.
Check out a video message from Parton and other SU2C supporters here.
