Samantha Bee will air a special holiday broadcast of her TBS’ satire show “Full Frontal,” another example of how late-night hosts are testing all kinds of extensions of their flagship broadcasts to win viewers who don’t necessarily watch their shows at the times they air each week.
“Christmas on I.C.E” will air Wednesday, December 19 at 10:30 p.m. eastern on TBS and will be commercial-free, the AT&T-owned network said Monday.
Bee will be joined at New York’s PlayStation Theater by special guest,s including skating superstar and Olympic medalist Adam Rippon. Bee will tap Opening Ceremony to create a capsule collection of merchandise for viewers at home. “I still love Christmas and hope that my ice dancing brings the much-needed joy that this world needs—it’ll make this sprained ankle totally worth it,” joked Bee in a prepared statement.
A portion of proceeds from both the special and merchandise sales will benefit KIND’s Family Separation Response Team.
The special is the latest effort by Bee and her production team to generate attention for her weekly TBS series by devising non-traditional “extras” around the show. Bee’s team recently launched a trivia-game app designed to spur people to vote in the 2018 election. Much of the activity around the game took place separately from the content presented in linear “Full Frontal” broadcasts.