LL Cool J has been forced to cancel his headlining performance for "Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest" after testing positive for COVID-19.
The musician made the announcement Thursday, explaining that he had been "looking forward" to performing in New York City.
"I know it’s disappointing to the millions of fans, but my test came back positive for COVID, which means I’ll no longer be able to perform as scheduled at NYRE," LL Cool J said in a statement obtained by Deadline. "We were ready, and I was really looking forward to ringing in 2022 in my hometown in a special way, but for now I wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year. The best is yet to come!"
ABC and producers revealed that R&B singer Chlöe won’t be performing on the special as scheduled either. Journey and Karol G will still be performing from Times Square in New York. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Ciara, Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker, Big Boi, OneRepublic, and French Montana will be performing live.
Friday's "Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest" will mark the 50th anniversary of one of the most-watched New Years’ Eve celebrations. It was touch and go for a while as producers turned to New York City for guidance about the popular annual New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square.
ABC made the call to proceed with the event after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city would go ahead with the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop but with stricter safety regulations in place. Attendees will be required to wear masks and social distance. There will also be fewer revelers.
"New Yorkers have stepped up tremendously over the past year — we are leading the way on vaccinations, we have reopened safely, and every day we work toward building a recovery for all of us," said de Blasio in a statement. "There is a lot to celebrate and these additional safety measures will keep the fully vaccinated crowd safe and healthy as we ring in the New Year."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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