06 Feb BOSSIP Exclusive: Cedric The Entertainer & Tichina Arnold Talk Hosting The Magically Multicultural Super Bowl Soulful Celebration

Two stars of CBS The Neighborhood are hosting a soulful celebration that unites music, faith, and football, and it’s gonna be a soul-stirring sight to see.

Cedric The Entertainer and Tichina Arnold have been announced as the hosts of the 25th annual Super Bowl Soulful Celebration, featuring an array of artists from gospel and beyond who’ll soulfully entertain a live audience ahead of  Super Bowl LVIII.

Airing on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 8 pm ET/7C  on CBS, and filming tomorrow at the Palms Casino Resort’s Pearl Concert Theater, the magically multicultural night will feature performances by Earth, Wind & Fire, Kirk Franklin, Robin Thicke, Mary Mary, T-Pain, Rachel Platten, Mickey Guyton, and The Players Choir.

This year the Super Bowl Soulful Celebration will also honor Damar Hamlin of The Buffalo Bills with the “New Beginnings” Award recognizing his dedication, resilience, and inspiring journey in overcoming obstacles to achieve success,

as well as FAMU alumni Markquese Bell of The Dallas Cowboys with the “HBCU Player of The Year” award.

C.J. Stroud, a rising star from the Houston Texans, will be honored with the esteemed “Faith in Action” Award for his work to uplift the community through his CJ Stroud Foundation.

Cedric The Entertainer & Tichina Arnold Talk The 25th Annual Super Bowl Soulful Celebration

In an exclusive interview with BOSSIP, Cedric The Entertainer and Tichina Arnold spoke on what viewers can expect from the big night.

“It’s gonna be one that’s full of energy, vibration. You know, we’re setting the Super Bowl off,” Cedric told BOSSIP’s Managing Editor Dani Canada. “You know, this is gonna premiere that Saturday night. So we’re coming to bring all that energy and that love that we have in celebrating us and our culture.”

“You know, when black folk get together, it is magical and it’s a wonderful thing,” said Tichina. “And we need music now more than ever. So, you know, music is a huge ministry. So we gotta continue to minister through music and through song and through energy. We need good energy now more than ever.”

The two also gushed over Melanie Few, the Founder and Executive Producer of the Super Bowl Soulful Celebration who is the only woman and person of color to produce an official NFL-sanctioned event during Super Bowl week.

“I saw that she started it in 1999 and anything that was birthed in the ’90s wins,” said Tichina. “It’s always good to see things be able to survive, so for her to be here for a monumental year. 25 years, that’s a good year, and to be able to last and thrive and service and to have a ministry, kudos to her. Black girl magic is always happening, I’m always magical.”

Cedric agreed and detailed more of Melanie Few’s quarter-century worth of work to BOSSIP.

“Her story was amazing,” said Cedric. “We heard it the other day about how when she got this started, she was denied, denied, denied her for six, seven years. And then they just, somebody was like, “Look, if you can get Gladys Knight, then we’ll do it.” And she went out and did her magic, black girl magic, and got Gladys Knight to say yes, and it’s been going 25 years ever since.

“So right there, this is to let you know what resiliency is,” he added. “What dedication to your ideas [is]. and how with something that’s really in your heart, you can’t be denied.”

In addition to detailing the Super Bowl Soulful Celebration, Cedric and Tichina also spoke on their series The Neighborhood which returns for season six on Monday, February 12 on CBS and Paramount+.

The two play husband and wife, Calvin and Tina, and their hilarious antics continue to keep viewers entertained.

“I really love the fact that we kind of built up this opportunity to be in your home and you’ve seen these relationships grow,” said Cedric. “And I think that that’s what people like. They like the idea of seeing there is the possibility to know that beyond where I live now and metaphorically where I live now, there is places for me to go. There’s places for me to find something new, to have a different experience. And so I think that allows us to have that very welcoming energy and that’s what people love about The Neighborhood.”

“Cedric works extremely hard on the integrity of this show,” added Tichina. “He pays attention to–when I say to every detail? Every detail. I don’t know how he does it and then goes out on the road and sells stuff with Anthony Anderson…I just don’t know how he does it. And he is the reason why this show is successful.”

Check out our exclusive with Cedric the Entertainer and Tichina Arnold ahead of the Super Bowl Soulful Celebration!

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