Barry Manilow's Appearance Causes A Stir At NYC Tree Lighting

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is an iconic symbol of the holiday spirit in New York City. In 1931, the first Rockefeller tree was put up. Two years later, the tree was lit in a special ceremony — an annual tradition that still exists today. On November 29, 2023, the 2023 Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting was held. However, many people who watched the event had a lot to say about something unrelated to the tree. They wanted to talk about singer Barry Manilow.

Manilow performed at the event, as did event host Kelly Clarkson, Cher, the Radio City Rockettes, and more, per Today. However, Manilow's singing prowess was not the main topic of conversation — his looks were.

On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, one viewer said, "Barry Manilow can hardly move his face from all the Botox." Another quipped, "Barry Manilow looks like he is wearing a cheap Barry Manilow mask." A few X users referenced how Manilow looked more like actor Martin Short doing an impression of Manilow. One mentioned another famous singer who had a televised performance on Thanksgiving, writing, "Barry Manilow should've called Dolly Parton's surgeons."

Although many people made digs at Barry Manilow's appearance during the 2023 Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting, others praised his performances, as he sang "All I Want For Christmas is You" and "Because It's Christmas." One X user shared, "Barry Manilow is EIGHTY. Performing live at the tree lighting in NYC. Love that!" Another fan shared a snippet of his "All I Want For Christmas is You" performance and remarked, "Mom's favorite artist ever is still rocking and rolling! She would have loved this!"

Another devoted fan wrote, "Love Barry! That's why I'm a Fanilow. He represents beautiful writing and performance. Still delivering at 80!" Others defended him against the plastic surgery critics, with one person mentioning that he's at the same caliber of talent as he was in the '70s. On all the quips about Botox and surgery, they added, "It's hard enough to age without having to do it in front of the world."

Manilow is not the first musical guest at a Rockefeller tree lighting to cause a stir online. Gwen Stefani's Christmas tree lighting outfit in 2020 turned heads, garnering negative and positive reactions.

The Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting is not Barry Manilow's only festive event for 2023. If you need some new Christmas content to get you in the holiday spirit, his special "Barry Manilow's A Very Barry Christmas" is coming to NBC on December 11, 2023, and Peacock the following day. It's a recorded version of his "Manilow: Las Vegas — The Hits Come Home!" show performed in Vegas. Manilow told Variety, "I love doing our Christmas show! We get to sing my pop hits and my favorite Christmas songs. It's a feel-good hour full of music."

The singer was also interviewed by TV Insider about "A Very Barry Christmas" and gave a sneak preview of what it will be like. "Because I'm an arranger," Manilow said, "they're not going to be the versions [of Christmas songs] you expect. I can promise they're full of joy, especially when little kids come onstage with Santa for my 'Cornball Christmas Medley.'"

When asked why he referred to "A Very Barry Christmas" as a "feel-good" event, Manilow replied, "It's always been my job to make people feel good. When the lights go down, they forget what's going on [in the world]. They sing and laugh and walk out feeling better than they did."