Eva Longoria, LeBron James, Reba McEntire
and the Webb Telescope Team Among This Year’s 10 Honorees
NBC News’ Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb to Host
“Inspiring America: The 2023 Inspiration List” June 10 Primetime Special, Airing Across NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC and Available to Stream Next Day on Peacock
Noticias Telemundo To Air First-Ever Spanish-Language Special
“Inspirando a América: Lista de Inspiradores” on June 10
“‘Inspiring America” Franchise Continues to Expand in 2023
with Digital, Audio and Event Extensions
(NEW YORK – June 1, 2023) – NBCUniversal News Group today announced the honorees for the 2023 Inspiration List ahead of the multi-platform primetime special, “Inspiring America: The Inspiration List” on Saturday, June 10.
Now in its third year as an NBCU News Group-wide franchise, “Inspiring America” continues to expand with a Spanish-language stand-alone special, along with digital, streaming, audio and event extensions.
Spotlighting 10 extraordinary individuals across sports, entertainment, and science, as well as everyday Americans who have made a positive difference in the world around them, the 2023 Inspiration List includes:
- Eva Longoria: “The Guiding Light” – After going back to school to get a Masters in Chicano studies, Longoria started a foundation to support STEM education and open doors for Latinas in entertainment, culture and business. Along the way, she continues to inspire others, like America Ferrera, who has joined Eva in helping Latinas find their voice.
- LeBron James: “The Game Changer” — The basketball superstar is changing lives in his hometown. The school he founded in Akron, OH for at-risk youth has educated 1600 students, with each graduate receiving a college scholarship. This year, he opened a Community Center in Akron to help adults get job training and other services.
- Reba McEntire and others: “The Hometown Heroes” — She may be the Queen of Country, but Reba McEntire never forgot where she grew up, near the tiny town of Atoka, OK. When Atoka found itself on the verge of economic ruin, Reba came home and worked with the town’s leaders to help.
- NASA’s Webb Telescope Team: “The Explorers” – The world was stunned by the incredible images of space from the Webb Telescope, a machine so powerful it captures light from distant galaxies created billions of years ago. The team that designed, built and deployed it worked for more than a decade, overcoming many obstacles, to achieve one of the greatest scientific advances of our time.
- Susan Burton: “The Invincible” – Burton overcame years of addiction and incarceration and now inspires others to do the same. She started a non-profit called “A New Way of Life,” which has helped thousands of former prisoners find shelter, jobs and perhaps most importantly, hope for a better life.
- Gary Sinise and others: “The Warriors” — For decades, Sinise has worked relentlessly on behalf of military veterans. Now, some of the vets he’s helped are paying it forward with their own incredible, inspirational work.
- Jane Goodall: “The Protector” — At 89 years old, Jane Goodall is still traveling the globe, spreading her message of conservation and hope to a whole new generation.
- El Paso Helping Hands: “The Providers” — This year, thousands of migrants in search of a better life headed for the US, creating a humanitarian crisis along our southern border. Many in El Paso, TX met the challenge with open hearts and helping hands.
- Mackenzie Scott: “The Giver” — The woman behind Amazon’s creation is now making her mark as one of the world’s leading philanthropists.
- Yo-Yo Ma: “The Uniter” — World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma believes beautiful music can unite us and travels the globe to spread that message.
Airing across NBCU News Group platforms on June 10 and 11, NBC Nightly News’ Lester Holt, along with TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, will co-host the third annual primetime television event, joined by fellow NBCU journalists Craig Melvin, Gadi Schwartz, José Díaz-Balart, and Melissa Lee, to recognize and celebrate this year’s 10 honorees.
“Inspiring America: The 2023 Inspiration List” will air across NBCU networks and streaming platforms beginning Saturday, June 10 and will also stream next-day on Peacock with encores available on TODAY All Day as well as NBC News NOW on Sunday, June 11:
- NBC – Saturday, June 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT
- MSNBC – Saturday, June 10 at 10 p.m. ET
- CNBC – Sunday, June 11 at 3 p.m. ET
- Telemundo – Saturday, June 10 at 5 p.m. ET
- Peacock – Available to stream on-demand Sunday, June 11
Encores available on:
- TODAY All Day – Sunday, June 11
- NBC News NOW – Sunday, June 11 at 8 p.m. ET
This year for the first time, Noticias Telemundo will host a special stand-alone Spanish-language edition of Inspiring America, “Inspirando a América: Lista de Inspiradores” recognizing extraordinary individuals driving change and making a meaningful impact in the Hispanic community. Julio Vaqueiro, Arantxa Loizaga and José Díaz-Balart will co-host the special which will air Saturday, June 10 at 5 p.m. ET on Telemundo. The “Lista de Inspiradores” honorees include: Eva Longoria, Mónica Ramírez, María Teresa Kumar, César Rangel, Chef Ivan Clemente, Claudia Serrato, Susie Jaramillo, and José Manuel Domínguez.
After beginning as a regular series on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, “Inspiring America” has expanded into a News Group-wide franchise that spans television, streaming, audio, digital and events. In addition to the primetime special airing on June 10, NBC News Audio will produce “Inspiring America” content included across showcasts of NBC Nightly News, TODAY, MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo.
CNBC will extend the Inspiring America brand by shining a light on inspiring business leaders including Bombas Founders David Heath and Randy Goldberg, Ariel Investments’ Mellody Hobson, Chobani Founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya, and “Shark Tank” entrepreneur Daymond John, during the network’s Business Day programming.
In a new series titled “Low-Key Amazing,” NBC News’ Stay Tuned builds on the Inspiring America brand with a custom series highlighting young people making a difference in the lives of those around them, celebrating Gen-Z accomplishments.
Additionally, Aspen Ideas Festival will feature an “Inspiring America” conversation during the annual event in June.
Follow updates on Twitter #InspiringAmericaNBC.
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NBCUniversal News Group – comprised of NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC – is the #1 most-watched news organization in the U.S., reaching more Americans across linear television and digital than any other news organization in the world. Seven out of 10 U.S. adults access NBCU News Group content each month, averaging over 175 million people per month. NBC News’ leading and award-winning television news broadcasts include TODAY, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Meet the Press with Chuck Todd and Dateline NBC. MSNBC is the #2 network across all of cable delivering breaking news, award-winning content, in-depth analysis and informed perspectives. CNBC is the world’s #1 business news source providing real-time financial market coverage, news-making interviews with top CEOs and award-winning business journalism and personal finance content. Across digital, NBCU News Group is the #1 news organization in the U.S. with over 130 million monthly users. It includes the fastest-growing streaming news network in the U.S., NBC News NOW, offering viewers best-in-class reporting and breaking news from the country’s most-trusted journalists, as well as streaming networks TODAY All Day, Dateline 24/7 and MSNBC on Peacock. Additionally, the organization’s award-winning audio unit is a top five podcast publisher in the U.S. and NBC News’ Stay Tuned, a first-of-its-kind social newscast, is the premier destination for the Gen Z audience.
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