Taye Diggs, Ne-Yo, Eric Bellinger to star as ‘The Black Pack’ in variety specials

The three performers will host two specials that celebrate Christmas and Juneteenth, respectively, featuring special celebrity guests and a combination of music, comedy, and dance.

We’ve all heard of The Rat Pack: the show business collective of Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin. Well, it’s time to get ready for The Black Pack! The Black Pack is not only a “tip of the hat” the moniker of the Davis, Sinatra, and Martin trio, but also embodies charisma, camaraderie, and multi-talented abilities in their various forms.

The CW Network announced that actor Taye Diggs is teaming up with singer/songwriters Ne-Yo and Eric Bellinger to form “The Black Pack” as part of two forthcoming variety specials.

The Black Pack Taye Diggs Ne-Yo Eric Bellinger thegrio.com
The Black Pack (Credit: Courtesy)

The first of the specials, The Black Pack: These Three Kings, will air on Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. EST and have a holiday theme, featuring performances of traditional Christmas tunes as well as newer songs. These Three Kings is the latest in a series of Black-themed holiday specials, including ABC’s 2020 holiday special, Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas II You, and Fox’s 2015 special, Taraji and Terrence’s White Hot Holidays, starring Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard.

The second special, The Black Pack: Excellence, is a star-studded celebration of the Juneteenth holiday. The music and dance extravaganza will showcase the historical achievements of art and culture and the celebration and significance of Juneteenth becoming a national holiday for the first time. It will also serve as a tribute to Davis and his career.

While no date has been formally announced, The Black Pack: Excellence will premiere in 2022. Each special will be feature special guest stars, including Tank, Sevyn Streeter, Jordin Sparks, and actress Bre-Z.

Diggs is a seasoned actor in films (The Best Man franchise), television (All American), and stage (Rent). Ne-Yo is a hit-making songwriter for himself (“So Sick,” “Closer,” “Because of You”) and others (BeyoncĂ©’s “Irreplaceable,” and Mario’s “Let Me Love You,” both of which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100). Bellinger is a Grammy-nominated songwriter who has lent his pen to artists like Tank, Chris Brown, Tyrese, and Brandy and released seven solo albums of his own.

Diggs serves as co-executive producer of The Black Pack specials, along with Shannon Stoeke and Rikki Hughes, who is also the showrunner for both specials.

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