Now available to stream on Peacock, “How Jane Lynch Stole Christmas,” The Weakest Link‘s holiday special, is the perfect way to ring in the yuletide season. According to host Jane Lynch, the timing couldn’t have been better. “It’s the week after Thanksgiving, so it is now legal to kick off the holidays,” Lynch gushed. Even better than the scheduling, the episode is full of Christmas magic. Instead of featuring regular contestants, the show celebrates the season by inviting eight holiday helpers—consisting of a few Santas, a Mrs. Claus, a caroler, and an elf—to face off in a battle of trivia to determine who is the weakest link. The victor wins a jolly prize pot, surely another reason to celebrate the season.
“It was really difficult to be my mean old Grinchy self with those wonderful people,” remembered Lynch. In their costumes, these holiday helpers brought a bit of Christmas magic to the game show’s typical proceedings as they tried to slay (sleigh?) their competition. “I couldn’t help, but get swept up into the good spirit,” said Lynch wistfully. A Christmas queen herself, Lynch got in on the holiday action by humming a Christmas duet with Miki the caroler. She even got to play Mrs. Clause and give out a sweet runner-up prize: her holiday album, A Swingin’ Christmas. “It’s one of those Christmas albums that you can listen to every year because it’s timeless,” claimed Lynch.
Decider got the chance to chat with Lynch over Zoom about The Weakest Link holiday special, her Christmas traditions and more.
DECIDER: You have to put on a Grinch-y façade sometimes to host The Weakest Link. How difficult was it to maintain that energy while talking to Santa and his helpers?
JANE LYNCH: Oh, it was really difficult to be my mean old Grinchy self with those wonderful people. We had Santas and their Mrs. Clauses. We had a professional Christmas caroler. We had this little guy who was an elf. Christmas is their calling. They take it seriously. I couldn’t help but get swept up in the good spirit. It was hard to say something mean to them every once in a while. However, people are just going to love this episode because it’s a great way to usher in the Christmas season. It’s the week after Thanksgiving and the episode is full of joy. When the group has to eliminate somebody, they almost cry. It’s so hard to say goodbye to a Santa.
I know it’s a spoiler, but all of Santa’s helpers managed to bank $25K in the first round. Did a Christmas miracle occur or did you expect them to have the holiday spirit on their side?
That’s never happened before. We saw the magic of Christmas in the first round. That really set the stage for the rest of the show. It was magical, just magical.
It was a real treat to watch you do a little duet with Miki the caroler! Did the Christmas spirit inspire you in that impromptu moment?
I am a Christmas music lover. I love Christmas, and I can’t help myself [laughs]. I tried so hard not to. As you notice, I didn’t actually sing the words. I just hummed. I put on a little harmony to her “Joy To The World.” And yeah, loved it.
What’s your favorite Christmas song to sing?
I have a Christmas album called A Swingin’ Little Christmas. We tour all over the country with Kate Flannery—who played Meredith, the drunk in The Office—and a wonderful quintet. On that album, I love singing “Up On The Housetop” in a very jazzy way. In my regular Christmas caroling life, my favorite is a devotional one, “O Holy Night.” I just love that. I love singing that with a bunch of people doing the harmonies. The lyrics are just so beautiful. That’s my favorite.
You got to play Mrs. Claus and give your holiday album, A Swingin’ Little Christmas, away as a runner-up prize. Why is your music the perfect gift for the holiday season?
It’s one of those Christmas albums that you can listen to every year because it’s timeless. We do songs in a number of styles—the late fifties, early sixties, and jazzy big band among them. The album is very reminiscent of Doris Day, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, and Rosemary Clooney. We have some really tight three-part harmonies for all your favorite Christmas songs. There are also a couple of original songs that our band leader, Tony Guerrero, wrote. They sound like they’ve been around for about 70 years. The album is one that you can add to your Christmas music rotation, and it’ll fit right in every year.
What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?
Music is very important. I have three or four albums from my childhood that I put on and play over and over and over again. I like going to the mall at Christmas. When I go home to Chicago, I go to the Oakbrook Mall because that says Christmas to me. It’s an outdoor mall, so you have to bundle up, and it’s lit up so beautifully. I always wait until the last minute to do my shopping on Christmas Eve. It’s just like one of those Hallmark movies.
Do you have any favorite Christmas movies?
Elf. I love Elf. It’s 20 years old, believe it or not. It’s a Wonderful Life. I love Home Alone. I’ll watch that. The Bells of Saint Mary’s and White Christmas, of course. I love some of the more vintage Christmas classics.
So why should people add The Weakest Link holiday special to their streaming yuletide schedule?
It came out the week after Thanksgiving, so it is a great way to kick off the holidays. This episode features really good people who have devoted their lives to the holiday. It’s full of Christmas magic.