CBS’ Celebrity Pickleball Tournament Sets Cast, Premiere Date

CBS has revealed the roster of players for Pickled, a two-hour celebrity pickleball tournament hosted and produced in part by Stephen Colbert.

Airing Thursday, Nov. 17, from 9 to 11 pm ET (and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+), the “hilarious and cutthroat” pickleball competition will field teams playing each other to benefit the non-profit Comic Relief US… and ultimately win “The Colbert Cup.”

The cast of 16 consists of Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus), Max Greenfield (The Neighborhood), Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan, Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-0), Jaime Camil (Jane the Virgin), Tig Notaro (Star Trek Discovery), Paul Scheer (Star Trek: Lower Decks), Aisha Tyler (Criminal Minds: Evolution), Luis Guzman (Netflix’s upcoming Wednesday), June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie), country music singers Jimmie Allen and Dierks Bentley, singer Kelly Rowland, Will Ferrell, former professional boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and Harry Potter franchise vet Emma Watson.

SportsCenter alum Cari Champion, John Michael Higgins (Pitch Perfect) and CBS Sports vet Bill Raftery will add color and commentary to the matches, while the national anthem will be performed as a duet by Colbert and singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins.

“If you love pickleball and you love celebrities and you love helping people, you’re going to love watching these celebrities help people by playing pickleball,” Colbert said in a statement.