Is Dolly Parton performing at Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving game? All you need to know about CBS’ coverage plan

The Dallas Cowboys playing on Thanksgiving has been an NFL tradition for nearly six decades. In Week 12, the Cowboys will play at AT&T Stadium on the holiday on CBS as part of an NFL tripleheader.

The legendary Dolly Parton will perform the halftime show of that Thanksgiving Day game. Parton spoke to "CBS Mornings" about the performance and what fans should expect:

"We're going to do some stuff that everybody can sing along to. They'll know the songs I'm doing. ... I want people to be surprised and enjoy it."

Parton is a 10-time Grammy winner and a member of the Country Music and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She has 25 No. 1 hits, the most for a female country music artist. Her decades-long has proven fans have and will always love her and her music.

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Why do the Dallas Cowboys play on Thanksgiving?

The tradition of the Dallas Cowboys playing on Thanksgiving goes back to 1966. General Manager Tex Schramm made sure they played on the holiday as a way to attract publicity to the franchise across the country to a bigger audience.

Dallas has played on Thanksgiving every year since except in 1975 and 1977 when the NFL gave the Thanksgiving games to the St. Louis Cardinals instead. It was an effort to boost the Cardinals' national media attention.

The Cowboys had been Super Bowl contenders in the 1970s, so the NFL wanted to give another team the chance to be broadcast on a national level. St. Louis would lose both Thanksgiving games, and in 1978, the Cowboys claimed back the tradition, sharing the day with the Detroit Lions.

Overall, the team has a record of 32 - 23 - 1 all-time on Thanksgiving, snapping their three-game losing streak last season. They defeated the New York Giants 28 - 20 in the 2022 season.

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Who will the Dallas Cowboys face this season on Thanksgiving?

The game will see the Cowboys against their longtime NFC East rivals, the Washington Commanders. It will be their first of two meetings this season. Their last meeting on the holiday was in Week 12 of the 2020 season in Arlington, Texas.

Washington defeated Dallas by a score of 41-16, getting just their second Thanksgiving Day win against them. Then-rookie running back Antonio Gibson had 115 yards rushing and three touchdowns for the Commanders in the game.

In the loss, then-Dallas Cowboys star Amari Cooper caught six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. We'll see if Dallas can add another win over the Commanders on the holiday in 2023.