Taye Diggs has been cast to star as Balthasar in The Chosen: The Three Kings, an upcoming holiday television special expanding the popular historical drama franchise. According to Variety, the new installment is scheduled to premiere on Monday, December 14, 2026, on Fox, with streaming availability beginning the following day, December 15, on Hulu. Produced by 5&2 Studios and executive produced by series creator Dallas Jenkins alongside Ryan Swanson and Tyler Thompson, the broadcast brings the biblical account of the Magi to network television while directly bridging the narrative of the flagship show's sixth and seventh seasons.

Joining Diggs as the titular biblical royals are Piter Marek as Melchior and Rahul Rai as Gaspar. The production also features Sara Anne and Raj Bond reprising their roles as Young Mary and Joseph, linking the distant travelers' storyline directly to the core events of the Nativity.

Broadcast Schedule and First-Look Details

Viewers will have multiple ways to watch the holiday event across linear television and streaming platforms in mid-December. While Variety and TVLine note the broadcast starts at 8 p.m.

ET (8/7c) on Fox, Yahoo Entertainment and What's On Disney Plus report that the special is slated for a 90-minute broadcast window running from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Following the Monday night linear broadcast, the special will stream the next day on Hulu and on Hulu on Disney+ in the United States.

The casting announcement arrived alongside the first promotional footage for the holiday special. TVLine and TV Insider have made the first-look teaser trailer available for viewers to preview. The preview footage introduces the three monarchs, establishes the political and personal stakes motivating their trek toward Bethlehem, and teases their eventual encounter with the newborn Jesus.

Inside the Cast and Premise of 'The Three Kings'

Unlike traditional Nativity adaptations that focus primarily on Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, The Chosen: The Three Kings shifts the vantage point to the Magi.

According to Fox's official description cited by TVLine, the event "tells the story of Jesus' arrival through the eyes of those who traveled the farthest to find him," offering "a deeply human perspective on one of the Bible's most enduring stories."

The official logline details how an impossibly bright light over the small town of Bethlehem captivates observers in distant lands. For Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar, the celestial phenomenon fulfills an ancient prophecy indicating the birth of a new ruler. Driven by the fear of regime change or even death, the three men set out on a high-stakes expedition to pay tribute to the newborn king, only to encounter a shocking discovery upon their arrival that alters their lives and the world forever.

The special draws on veteran talent from television, film, and the stage to anchor the ensemble:

  • Taye Diggs (Balthasar): Diggs brings decades of screen and stage experience to the franchise. His television and film credits include All American, Private Practice, The Best Man, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back. On Broadway, he originated the role of Benjamin Coffin III in Rent and has performed in Wicked, Chicago, Moulin Rouge!, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
  • Piter Marek (Melchior): Marek has appeared in prominent television series including The Blacklist, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Girls5eva, Chicago Fire, and Blue Bloods, alongside Broadway appearances in Cyrano de Bergerac, Disgraced, and Punch.
  • Rahul Rai (Gaspar): Rai's television resume includes roles in Ballard, Barry, A Man on the Inside, and The Upshaws, as well as feature films such as When Harry Tries to Marry, The Distance Between Us, and Greytown Girl.

How the Special Connects to Season 6 and the Franchise Universe

While The Three Kings serves as a standalone holiday broadcast for Fox audiences, it is also an active piece of the flagship series' ongoing narrative architecture. The special represents the third and final installment of The Chosen's Christmas trilogy, following 2017's The Shepherd—which premiered on Facebook and functioned as the original pilot for the series—and 2021's Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers, which debuted in movie theaters. This third chapter marks the first time a Christmas installment from the franchise will premiere on a major broadcast television network.

According to TV Insider, the December special will air right in the middle of the release schedule for The Chosen Season 6, which premieres November 15 on Prime Video.

Specifically, the Fox broadcast is positioned after the first six episodes of Season 6 have released, and ahead of the double-episode theatrical finale centered on the Crucifixion, which is slated to debut in March 2027.

Creator Dallas Jenkins explained to TV Insider that the Magi storyline was originally written to be folded directly into Season 6 as flashback sequences. However, the production scope of those segments grew too large, lengthy, and expensive to fit seamlessly into the standard season episodes. Jenkins and his team opted to extract the three kings material and rework it into a dedicated holiday presentation.

"Some of the storylines that are in Season 6 are actually carried out in this episode," Jenkins told TV Insider. "So, this is not just a separate episode [that is] disconnected from the show — this flows directly with Season 6 and into Season 7.

[And] there are things in Season 6 that you'll see will pay off in this Christmas episode, and this Christmas episode will also pay off in the Crucifixion movie that comes out in early 2027." Jenkins also noted when first announcing the project in September that partnering with Fox provides an opportunity to introduce the property to a wider broadcast audience.

The Fox broadcast operates alongside 5&2 Studios' broader distribution arrangement with Amazon MGM Studios. Under that multi-faceted pact, the regular series moved to Prime Video last year, granting the platform exclusive U.S. streaming rights alongside planned theatrical releases for major installments. The expanding slate of spin-offs at Prime Video also includes The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls, the animated series The Chosen Adventures, and the limited drama series Joseph of Egypt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can US viewers watch the first-look teaser for 'The Chosen: The Three Kings'?

The first-look teaser video is currently available to watch online through major entertainment outlets, including the reports published by TVLine and TV Insider, which feature the preview embedded directly in their coverage.

Will the special stream on The Chosen app or Prime Video after airing on Fox and Hulu?

Official announcements have only confirmed the linear broadcast on Fox on December 14, 2026, and next-day streaming availability on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ starting December 15. While the main series streams on Prime Video, neither Fox nor 5&2 Studios has confirmed whether or when this holiday special will migrate to Prime Video or the free The Chosen app at a later date.

Who is in the cast of 'The Chosen: The Three Kings'?

The confirmed cast is led by Taye Diggs as Balthasar, Piter Marek as Melchior, and Rahul Rai as Gaspar. Additionally, Sara Anne and Raj Bond appear in the special as Young Mary and Joseph. Further supporting cast members have not yet been disclosed.

Sources