Country music's biggest stars are paying tribute to the late Toby Keith in the NBC special "Toby Keith: American Icon." The two-hour music event, which airs Wednesday, Aug. 28, brings together an A-list roster of musicians to honor Keith's life and legacy. The star-studded tribute, filmed in Nashville, features Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Jelly Roll and more top-name artists. Read on to learn more about “Toby Keith: American Icon.”
“Toby Keith: American Icon” is a two-hour televised tribute to the late country singer. The special, filmed last month at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, will celebrate the life and legacy of Keith, known for hits including "Should’ve Been a Cowboy," "How Do You Like Me Now?!," "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)" and "Red Solo Cup."
The special will feature an A-list lineup of country music artists. The list of guest stars includes Trace Adkins, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jordan Davis, Scotty Emerick, Brantley Gilbert, Riley Green, Hardy, Tyler Hubbard, Jamey Johnson, Krystal Keith, Ella Langley, Ashley McBryde, Parker McCollum, Mac McAnally, Jelly Roll, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Clay Walker and Lainey Wilson.
“Toby Keith: American Icon” will air Wednesday, Aug. 28, from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT. Keith announced in June 2022 that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer the previous fall. He died in February 2024 at age 62.
How To Watch ‘Toby Keith: American Icon’
Fans can watch the two-hour, star-studded event celebrating the life and career of country music legend Toby Keith for free by using a free trial from either Fubo or DirecTV Stream. Both services offer a free trial, giving fans access to NBC and other channels for free.
The tribute concert special, filmed on July 29, in Nashville, Tennessee, at Bridgestone Arena, pays tribute to Keith’s contributions to country music. In his three decades in the industry, Keith made more than 20 studio albums and several hits. He was named the first-ever People’s Country Music Icon at the first People’s Choice Country Awards a few months before he died.
Keith is best known for a mix of patriotic, humorous lyrics that told a story with a catchy tune. Hits included “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue,” “Red Solo Cup,” “As Good as I Once Was,” “I Wanna Talk About Me” and “Beer for My Horses.”
The following artists will be performing some of Toby Keith’s catalog from over the years in tonight’s special:
Watch a sneak peek of Blake Shelton’s performance below:
Tune in tonight, Aug. 28, at 9/8c on NBC to watch “Toby Keith: American Icon.”
A Heartfelt Tribute from Krystal Keith
During the special, fans will see the late country legend’s daughter, Krystal Keith, give an emotional performance of his song “Don’t Let the Old Man In.” She’ll hit the stage alongside stars like Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan — but Krystal tells PEOPLE that her decision to join the fun was something she had to think long and hard about. And that song choice? That was a tough sell, too.
“I was thinking, ‘OK, I can make it through a party song.’ But when [producers] approached me with [‘Don’t Let the Old Man In’], I was like, ‘Well crap, I already cry with that song, just listening to it. I don’t know how I’m going to sing it,’” she says of the song, a poignant rumination on death that her father sang in his final public performance. “I’m glad they did, though, because it turned out really special. I think that he would’ve been proud of it.”
Toby, who died of stomach cancer in February at age 62, had plenty to be proud of when it came to his family, which includes Krystal, 38, daughter Shelley, 44, son Stelen, 27, and Tricia, his wife of 40 years.
Though Krystal says the concert special “may have come a little sooner” than she and her family were hoping, as they’re still wary of being thrust into the spotlight, she knows it’s also something that would’ve made her dad proud, as everything came together as “authentically Toby Keith” as possible.
“The team decided to have a bar on stage. There’s a huge American flag. The military is involved,” she says. “It really epitomizes who he was and hits all of the things he loved in his life: his family, his foundation, his music and the military.”
A Legacy of Giving Back
A portion of the ticket sales from the concert, which was filmed in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, will benefit The Toby Keith Foundation’s OK Kids Korral, a cost-free home for families of critical pediatric patients, and will go toward Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, a top children’s hospital in Nashville. For Krystal, knowing the show had a “purpose” made everything worth it, as Toby was all about helping others.
“I think a majority of the good deeds he did will never even be known, because he loved doing it behind closed doors,” she says.
The Lasting Impact of a Legend
Krystal misses her father “a hundred times a day,” often at unexpected times, like when she stops into a small-town dive bar. “Those were his favorite,” she says. “I would call him on the road and be like, ‘Hey, I'm in this random city. Where do I eat?’ It could literally be any random, tiny town in America and I promise you he’s been there, and he’s eaten there, and he knows exactly where to go. Those times are really the times that it hits me.”
Her siblings live nearby, and the kids have been able to band together in order to make sure their mom Tricia is doing OK; Krystal says they agreed to take “shifts” in the days after losing their patriarch to make sure Tricia wouldn't have to sleep alone.
Still, if she could speak to her dad today, Krystal would assure him that his family is doing just fine. “[I’d tell him] that we’re all going to be OK. I think he knew that,” she says. “He told us that we’d be OK, but just to know that he knows we’re going to be OK would be great.”
Remembering Toby Keith: A Lasting Legacy
Toby Keith: American Icon is airing on NBC on Wednesday, Aug. 28 from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT and will stream the following day on Peacock. It is a testament to the lasting impact of this country music legend, whose songs and spirit will continue to resonate with fans for years to come.
