‘Taraji’s White Hot Holidays’ & ‘Showtime at the Apollo: Christmas’ – December 14th

The night kicks off with EMPIRE’s Taraji P. Henson returning to host Taraji’s White Hot Holidays (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. The special will feature renditions of holiday classics performed by artists including Chaka Khan, Ciara, Faith Evans, Fergie, Jussie Smollett, Leslie Odom Jr., Salt-N-Pepa and the Ying Yang Twins. The holiday extravaganza will also feature appearances by DJ Khaled, Taye Diggs, Jay Pharoah, Method Man, Tituss Burgess and Niecy Nash, among other surprise guests and performances.

Following Taraji’s White Hot Holidays, the celebration will continue with Showtime at the Apollo: Christmas (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), hosted by Steve Harvey. Featured in the episode will be some of the nation’s top musical acts offering renditions of their favorite Christmas songs, including performances by Snoop Dogg & Boyz II Men, Fifth Harmony and DMX. Along with the well-known acts, the show will showcase Apollo’s legendary long-running, live talent competition – which provides a platform for up-and-coming artists to perform in front of the toughest audience in the world. The Apollo audience is famed as one of entertainment’s most boisterous and brutally honest and those contestants who don’t win over the crowd risk being booed off the stage. Additionally, actress, recording artist and TV personality Adrienne Houghton (“The Real”) will co-host the all-new holiday-themed episode.