Jonathan Groff turned the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade into a full-on rom-com moment this year, and yes, it involved Bowen Yang, a hand kiss, and a queer twist on a classic song. During a live performance that’s already going viral, the Just in Time lead pulled the SNL favorite into the spotlight for a sweet, flirty dance—and sealed it with a hand kiss that had the internet screaming.
Jonathan Groff Brings Bowen Yang Into The Spotlight
Jonathan Groff took the parade stage with the cast of his Broadway musical Just in Time, performing a medley that included Bobby Darin’s iconic “Beyond the Sea” for NBC and Peacock’s massive holiday broadcast. Mid-performance, Groff stepped away from the main staging area and invited Bowen Yang—who was seated nearby on the risers—to join him on camera for an impromptu dance, calling out, “Let’s hear it for Bowen Yang!” to cheers from the crowd.
The two then shared a playful, ballroom-style moment as Groff twirled Yang around, before Groff gently lifted Bowen’s hand and kissed it, sending social feeds into meltdown and cementing the moment as one of the parade’s standout highlights. Commenters quickly labeled it “the most iconic moment of the 2025 parade” and praised the easy warmth and chemistry between the Broadway star and the SNL comedian.
Queer Spin On “Beyond the Sea”
The hand kiss wasn’t the only headline-making detail. As Jonathan Groff sang “Beyond the Sea,” he subtly shifted the classic song’s traditionally heteronormative lyrics, swapping out “she” for “he” to frame the number as a romantic tribute between men. Lines about a lover “waiting for me” and “he’s there watching for me” played out while Groff invited Bowen Yang into the dance, turning a decades-old standard into a tender, openly queer moment on one of America’s most traditional holiday broadcasts.
Groff, who is openly gay and currently leads Just in Time as singer Bobby Darin, previously performed “Beyond the Sea” with the song’s original pronouns on The Late Show; the updated parade version felt like a deliberate evolution, matching the energy of the hand kiss and the joyful representation it brought to millions of viewers. Fans and outlets alike praised the choice as both simple and powerful—normalizing queer romance in a space historically dominated by straight-coded performances.
Jonathan Groff Parade Moment: Key Questions Answered
-
What exactly did Jonathan Groff do during the parade?
He performed a Just in Time medley at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, invited Bowen Yang onstage for a short dance, twirled him, and then kissed his hand as the number wrapped up. -
Why is the Jonathan Groff–Bowen Yang moment such a big deal?
The combination of the public hand kiss, the queer lyric changes, and the massive holiday audience made it a rare moment of joyful LGBTQ+ visibility on national TV, prompting enthusiastic reactions all over social media. -
What show was Jonathan Groff promoting?
He was representing the Broadway musical Just in Time, which tells the life story of Bobby Darin and features Groff as the legendary singer alongside castmates including Sarah Hyland and Sadie Dickerson. -
Where can people rewatch the Jonathan Groff and Bowen Yang hand-kiss moment?
Clips of the performance have been shared by outlets like Variety, Entertainment Weekly, and Broadway-focused pages, as well as circulating widely on X (Twitter), Instagram Reels, Facebook, and parade recap videos.
With one graceful hand kiss and a single lyric tweak, Jonathan Groff turned a classic parade slot into a sweet, subversive, and instantly memorable piece of queer holiday history—and Bowen Yang’s delighted grin said it all.
