Fox has cancelled its second annual New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast, which was due to broadcast live from New York’s Times Square.
According to a recent announcement, the move was due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases from the highly contagious Omicron variant.
“While we are confident in the health and safety protocols for Fox’s New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast 2022, the recent velocity of the spread of Omicron cases has made it impossible to produce a live special in Times Square that meets our standards,” Fox Entertainment said in a statement on Tuesday evening.
“We will not be moving forward with Fox’s New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast 2022 in New York. The health and safety of our casts and crews has always been, and will continue to be, of the utmost importance. Replacement programming for New Year’s Eve on Fox will be announced in the coming days.”
The show had scheduled performances from artists including Imagine Dragons, Billy Idol, P!nk, and Maroon 5 with Community actors Ken Jeong and Joel McHale co-hosting. Whether Fox will feature these artists in the replacement New Years’ Eve programming is yet to be announced.
Fox’s New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast isn’t the first New York event to get canceled. Rock band LCD Soundsystem recently announced they have pulled out of their last three shows due to similar COVID concerns.
All Times Square events are up in the air at the moment as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has shared concerns surrounding the challenges being faced. “We’re going to make a decision before Christmas,” de Blasio said in a press briefing.