The Thanksgiving Day Parade always delivers big balloons and bigger Broadway moments but this year Jonathan Groff and Bowen Yang somehow managed to steal the entire show with nothing more than a dance break and one very flirty hand kiss.
Groff who is currently leading the Broadway musical Just in Time stepped onto the parade stage ready to charm America and Bowen Yang suddenly appeared beside him like the best holiday surprise no one asked for but everyone immediately adored.
The two kicked off the performance with a playful little dance number that felt half musical theater half inside joke and fully overflowing with queer joy.
When the number ended Groff took Bowen’s hand leaned in with dramatic Broadway precision and placed a soft old-Hollywood kiss right on it sending the internet into a swooning spiral faster than a Macy’s balloon caught in November wind.
The moment was quick warm and intimate in that way only performers who genuinely adore each other can pull off and it instantly became the highlight of the entire parade broadcast.
Groff who has been earning rave reviews for channeling Bobby Darin in Just in Time clearly brought his romantic crooner energy straight from the stage to the parade route and Bowen was more than ready to match him beat for beat.
Fans watching from home lit up social media with reactions calling the moment “unexpectedly tender,” “peak Thanksgiving queer culture,” and “exactly the kind of softness we need before eating our body weight in mashed potatoes.”
What made it hit even harder is that both stars represent different corners of modern queer stardom with Groff as Broadway royalty and Bowen as one of comedy’s most sharp and unapologetically queer voices.
Seeing them share the stage so naturally on one of the most family-watched TV events of the year felt like a quiet but powerful reminder that LGBTQ+ affection belongs everywhere including the country’s coziest holiday morning tradition.
The parade itself was its usual ratings juggernaut bringing in tens of millions of viewers which means that tiny hand kiss reached households that don’t normally tune in for queer joy and that deserves a little glitter-covered celebration.
Groff has talked often about how much he loves connecting with audiences and that sincerity glowed through every part of the performance especially in the soft look he gave Bowen before delivering the moment seen around Gay Twitter.
Bowen meanwhile is no stranger to musical theater energy thanks to his work on Wicked: For Good this season which has already become a full box office cyclone proving he can switch between comedy musical drama and now parade-day flirtation with ease.
In a year already overflowing with major LGBTQ+ wins moments like this show how queerness continues weaving itself into the mainstream not as a spectacle but simply as joy friendship and connection.
The whole thing lasted only a few seconds but it carried the kind of soft spark that lingers long after the cameras cut to the next marching band.
It was sweet it was genuine and it was exactly the kind of queer magic the holiday season secretly needed.
As the year winds down Groff continues conquering Broadway and Bowen remains one of entertainment’s most magnetic and lovable chaos angels making their Thanksgiving moment feel like the perfect crossover nobody saw coming but everyone is grateful for.
If the holidays are about warmth connection and tiny gestures that remind us we’re part of something bigger then Jonathan Groff kissing Bowen Yang’s hand just became an instant queer classic worthy of a permanent spot in the LGBTQ+ holiday highlight reel.
📷 IG: @ nbc