'Sesame Street 50th Anniversary' Celebrity Guests: Who Is Appearing in the HBO Special?

HBO is celebrating five decades of an iconic kid's TV show with Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration, a 45-minute special airing on Saturday, November 9 at 7 p.m. ET. Joseph Gordon-Levitt will host the special, which will also include everyone from Whoopi Goldberg to Sterling K. Brown interacting with the street's most famous residents like Big Bird, Elmo and even Kermit the Frog, due to come back to Sesame Street for the first time in a decade.

Which celebrities are appearing in Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Special?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Looper and Inception actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt will host the whole special, six years after he made his first appearance in Sesame Street introducing word of the day "reinforce."

Whoopi Goldberg

Oscar-winning actress, comedian and host of The View, Whoopi Goldberg, will appear on HBO alongside Ernie and Hoots the Owl to perform "Put Down the Duckie," a song that first appeared on the show in 1986. Goldberg has appeared on the PBS show a number of times over the years, first turning up in 1990.

Patti LaBelle

Patti LaBelle will lead the final segment of Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration, which sees the cast join together to perform "Sing," perhaps the show's most famous song. LaBelle has appeared in the series a number of times, first starring in 1985.

Elvis Costello

The "Everyday I Write the Book" singer (who first appeared in 2011) will be performing "Bein' Green" alongside its originator Kermit the Frog, who appeared in the first ever Sesame Street in 1969 and first performed the song on the show in 1970.

Meghan Trainor

Making her Sesame Street debut is "All About that Bass" hitmaker Meghan Trainor, who is starring in the special to perform "Count Me In," first heard on the show in 1997.

Sterling K. Brown

This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown is also appearing Sesame Street for the first time in the 50th anniversary celebration, and will be learning about cookie eating from a true master in the art, the Cookie Monster himself.

Norah Jones

Launching the show will be the multi-Grammy-winning "Come Away With Me" singer Norah Jones, who appeared on the show in 2004, singing the show's "Welcome" song alongside cast members past and present.

Nile Rodgers

Grover and Ernie will be joined by Chic bandleader Nile Rodgers to perform "The People in Your Neighbourhood," a song that is also 50 this year.

Itzhak Perlman

Accompanying Ernie and Whoopi Goldberg in their song will be Israeli-American violinist and 16-time Grammy winner Itzhak Perlman.

Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration airs Saturday, November 9 at 7 p.m. on HBO.