Brad Paisley is gearing up for his finest hour! The singer and philanthropist is branching out to TV with multiple projects like his very own TV show for Amazon, Fish Out of Water. But first up? Brad Paisley Thinks He’s Special, a one-hour variety show filmed in Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium with loads of his famous friends.
“It’s a fun time for me to create outside of my wheelhouse,” Paisley says in the new issue of Us Weekly. It’s a whole lot of country — Tim McGraw and Kelsea Ballerini join — and a little bit rock & roll (Hootie & the Blowfish). Don’t be fooled by the title of the show: Paisley may wear large cowboy hats, but his head isn’t that big.
As the country crooner puts it, “The show is a roast of me, in some ways. From day one, the premise has been that I don’t have any interest in looking too cool here. Nashville’s a really special place and the guests and performers are special people. I may not be, and that’s sort of proven throughout!”
Out of all the talent on Paisley’s guest list, NFL legend Peyton Manning roasts him the most. “We genuinely like working together and like each other. I hate to even call it a roast, but his role in this is to make sure I’m put in my place,” he says.
The guitar slinger also gets scared out of his britches thanks to longtime pal Carrie Underwood. “When I came up with this thing, I thought, ‘Oh, it’ll be fun to do an interview à la Comedians in Cars [Getting Coffee],’” says Paisley. “I wanted to do the redneck, crazy version where we’re out in the woods, driving through the mud and I scare her a bit.”
But that’s not what happened. “I set out to take her out of her comfort zone and she succeeds at completely taking me out of mine. She scares me to death! I’m surprised she didn’t break the axle of the truck in half.”
If this sounds like a viral moment in the making, that’s exactly what Paisley is hoping for. “There are moments people will want to watch over and over,” he adds.
Brad Paisley Thinks He’s Special airs on December 3 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. For more on Brad Paisley, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now!
With reporting by Kayley Stumpe
