November 5, 2026
ST. LOUIS — Seventy years ago Thursday, a familiar voice entered American living rooms in a way network television had not previously seen.
On November 5, 1956, NBC premiered The Nat King Cole Show, making the singer and pianist the first African American to host a nationally broadcast television variety program, according to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The program initially aired for 15 minutes in prime time. Its musical guests included celebrated performers across jazz, gospel and popular music. The series later expanded to 30 minutes, demonstrating both Cole’s drawing power and the possibilities for Black artists in mainstream television.
But commercial success was constrained by discrimination. Although NBC supported the program, major national advertisers resisted sponsoring it, fearful of backlash from audiences who opposed an African American star leading a network show.
The show ended in 1957. Its cancellation did not erase its significance. Cole’s place in the history of television was secured by his talent and by his willingness to occupy a platform that Black performers had long been denied.
Black History 365 recognizes these milestones not as isolated trivia, but as reminders of how opportunities were opened — and how much resistance often accompanied that progress.
Sources: National Museum of African American History and Culture and Paley Center archive of the November 5, 1956 premiere.
