Cyndi Lauper Joins ‘9/11 Tribute in Light’ Live Broadcast for 25th Anniversary

Cyndi Lauper 9/11 Tribute in Light participation has been confirmed for the first national live broadcast built around New York City’s annual memorial installation. The singer will perform from Lower Manhattan on Friday, September 11, as the country marks 25 years since the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum announced Lauper’s participation on September 8, adding her to a performance lineup that already includes Lainey Wilson and John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting. The one-hour special, 9/11 Tribute in Light: Live from Lower Manhattan, will begin at 8 p.m. EDT.

Cyndi Lauper 9/11 Tribute in Light performance joins a historic broadcast

The annual Tribute in Light has illuminated the New York skyline each September 11 since 2002, but this year’s commemoration adds a national live television component. Lauper, Wilson and Ondrasik are scheduled to perform from the base of the twin beams as part of the broadcast.

The special will air simultaneously across ABC, Disney+, Hulu, National Geographic, ABC Owned Television Stations livestreams and ABC News Live. David Muir, Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer will host live from New York City.

ABC’s official anniversary programming announcement describes the program as the first live edition of 9/11 Tribute in Light: Live from Lower Manhattan. The broadcast is being produced in collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and will culminate with the memorial light installation.

Lauper connects the performance to her New York roots

Lauper, who was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, described the appearance as a personal opportunity to honor those killed in the attacks as well as their families and the city she calls home.

In the statement released by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Lauper recalled being outside New York City on the morning of September 11, 2001, and trying to return to her family. She said she was grateful to participate in the anniversary commemoration and honored to sing for those who were lost and those who remain.

The performance places one of New York’s most recognizable musicians at the center of an anniversary broadcast designed around remembrance rather than a conventional concert. Lauper’s appearance was announced three days before the commemoration, making her the latest addition to the previously revealed musical lineup.

Lainey Wilson and John Ondrasik will also perform

Wilson and Ondrasik were announced before Lauper joined the program. Ondrasik is scheduled to perform Five For Fighting’s “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” a song that became closely associated with the period following the September 11 attacks.

The Disney Entertainment Television programming announcement says the live special is intended to honor those killed, consider the attacks’ lasting impact and recognize survivors, families, first responders and communities affected by September 11.

The evening will also include local programming before the national special. WABC-TV is scheduled to air Paying Tribute: Live from Lower Manhattan at 7:30 p.m. EDT, hosted by Linsey Davis, Sade Baderinwa and Mike Marza.

Tribute in Light returns 25 years after September 11

The twin beams have become one of New York’s most recognizable annual memorials. The installation recreates the visual presence of two vertical towers of light in Lower Manhattan and is illuminated each year around the anniversary.

This year’s broadcast gives viewers outside New York a way to experience the installation as part of a coordinated national television event. The program is scheduled to conclude with live coverage of the beams as they illuminate the skyline.

The New York Post independently reported Lauper’s addition to the lineup and confirmed that the performances will take place beneath the lights during the September 11 special.

The television event is part of a broader group of programs and commemorations surrounding the 25th anniversary. Unlike entertainment award shows or benefit concerts, however, the purpose of the September 11 broadcast is explicitly memorial. The musical performances are being presented within that commemorative framework.

The live special airs September 11

9/11 Tribute in Light: Live from Lower Manhattan is scheduled for Friday, September 11, from 8 to 9 p.m. EDT. Viewers will be able to watch through ABC and the participating Disney-owned broadcast and streaming platforms.

For Lauper, the appearance brings together her identity as a lifelong New Yorker and a career that has made her one of the city’s internationally recognized musical figures. For the memorial organizers, adding Lauper to Wilson and Ondrasik expands the musical component of a broadcast centered on remembrance, resilience and the people affected by September 11.

The Cyndi Lauper 9/11 Tribute in Light performance will therefore take place not as a standalone concert appearance, but as part of the first nationally televised live presentation of an installation that has marked New York’s September 11 anniversary for nearly a quarter century.