Comedian/movie star to make his Big Slick debut as more celebrity guests are announced

Actor/comedian Kumail Nanjiani will make his Big Slick Celebrity Weekend debut this month, joining a growing list of marquee performers coming to the annual Children’s Mercy Fundraiser.

Nanjiani, who starred in the HBO comedy series “Silicon Valley,” also co-wrote and starred in the 2017 romantic comedy, “The Big Sick.”

“The Big Sick.” Big Slick. “The Big Sick.” Big Slick.

You’ll hear a lot of jokes about that, guaranteed.

This year’s 15th fundraiser takes place Friday and Saturday, May 31 and June 1. Sheryl Crow will perform Saturday night at the Big Slick Party & Show at T-Mobile, organizers announced Friday.

As they do every year, the event’s KC-connected hosts — Heidi Gardner, David Koechner, Eric Stonestreet, Paul Rudd, Rob Riggle and Jason Sudeikis — have tapped colleagues from their TV and Hollywood gigs, even their own families.

Nanjiani joins actor/comedian Fortune Feimster (“The Mindy Project”) and comedian Jeff Ross, aka the “Roastmaster General,” as first-timers. Most of the guests announced so far have been here before:

▪ Richard Christy, radio personality, musician/drummer

▪ Sheryl Crow, Grammy winning singer and Missouri native

▪ Beth Dover, actor, “Orange Is the New Black,” “Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later”

▪ Sean Evans, host,YouTube’s “Hot Ones”

▪ Will Forte: actor, “MacGruber,” “The Last Man on Earth,” “The Great North”

▪ Seth Herzog, comedian

▪ Anthony Hill, actor, “Grey’s Anatomy”

▪ Taran Killam, “SNL,” “The Heat,” ”12 Years a Slave”

▪ Logan Mize, country artist from Kansas

▪ Robert Smigel, voice of Triumph the Comic Insult Dog, “Bill Swerski’s Superfans”

▪ Jake Tapper, CNN anchor

▪ George Wendt, actor (“Cheers”), Sudeikis’ uncle, “Bill Swerski’s Superfans”

▪ Ariel Winter: actress, “Modern Family,” TikTok creator

More celebrity guests will be announced daily over the coming days on Big Slick’s social media channels and its website, BigSlickKC.org, and in The Star.

The event’s biggest slate of celebrity guests last year helped Big Slick raise more than $3.5 million, a record.

To date, Big Slick has raised more than $20 million, helping to attract top medical and research talent by exposing a national audience to the work of the Children’s Mercy Research Institute.

This year’s two core events:

▪ The Big Slick Celebrity Softball Game will be played on the main field at Kauffman Stadium on May 31 before the Royals play the San Diego Padres. Everyone with a Royals ticket can watch the softball game.

If purchased through the Big Slick website (or using this link: mlb.com/royals/tickets/specials/big-slick), a portion of ticket proceeds is donated.

▪ The Big Slick Party & Show. That includes comedians, musical performances and an auction for big-ticket prizes, which in past years have included red carpet movie premieres and an evening with Bill Self and Kansas basketball. Tickets starting at $75 are available at the Big Slick website or T-MobileCenter.com.

Donations can also be made directly to Children’s Mercy at BigSlickKC.org.