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FYI

Andy Kim Christmas Special Raises $190K For Charity

The annual star-studded seasonal show had to go virtual last month, but it was another big fundraising success, thanks in large part to the Slaight Family Foundation. The three recipient charities are Crew Nation, CAMH Gifts of Light, and Food Banks Canada.

Andy Kim Christmas Special Raises $190K For Charity

By FYI Staff

The fundraising figures are in for last month's Andy Kim Christmas Special, and they're impressive, thanks to a $100K donation from the Slaight Family Foundation. Overall, the holiday charity event raised over $190,000 for the three recipient charities, Crew Nation, CAMH Gifts of Light, and Food Banks Canada. Co-presenter Air Miles gave viewers the chance to donate Miles towards rewards that directly benefited Food Banks Canada and that raised over $40,000 of the total. 


Long-established as one of Toronto's most popular seasonal shows, the Andy Kim Christmas Special was forced to go the virtual route last month. The 16th annual edition was nationally aired on December 19 and December 24 on Citytv and Citytv.com.

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Performers who donated their time and cachet included Andy Kim, Barenaked Ladies, Broken Social Scene, Buffy Sainte-Marie, City and Colour, Glass Tiger & Roch Voisine, Jully Black, Kardinal Offishall, Ron Sexsmith, Sam Roberts, Sarah McLachlan, Serena Ryder, and William Prince.

In a press release, Kim stated “Work is just work unless there is The Purpose. I’m lucky and blessed to have been alongside the inspired who understood helping those in need was paramount during the 2020 Christmas and Holiday Season. Every artist I asked to donate their time and perform a song for our Christmas Special said yes because of the idea of helping others. Whether we do this again or not, I’m thankful to everyone for their time and commitment, and to everyone watching the show at home."

The two-hour music special, broadcast from Toronto’s El Mocambo on December 19, reached over 2.5 million viewers and re-aired on Christmas Eve with over 2.3 million Canadians tuning in.

The special was hosted by Sportsnet host and Juno-nominated musician, Tara Slone as well as Cityline host Tracy Moore.

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Empire of the Sun
Melanie Swerdan

Empire of the Sun

Chart Beat

Empire of the Sun's 'We Are the People' Debuts on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 More Than 15 Years After Initial Release

The track from the Australian duo enters at No. 96 after a surge on TikTok. Plus, married country duo Thelma & James (featuring Canadian singer MacKenzie Porter) debut at No. 92 with "Happy Ever After You."

This week's Canadian Hot 100 features a significantly late bloomer.

Empire of the Sun have earned their first entry on the Canadian Hot 100 with "We Are the People," which debuts at No. 96 on this week's chart dated May 17. The feat comes almost two decades after the song's initial release on the group's debut album Walking on a Dream in 2008.

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