The show must not go on: Fox is scrapping its live New Year’s Eve show due to the Omicron surge.
The network was set to air its second-annual Toast & Roast special hosted by actor-comedians Ken Jeong and Joel McHale.
But the network decided late Tuesday to cancel the special. “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,” the network said in a statement.
“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.”
Fox’s Toast & Roast was set to include performances by Imagine Dragons, Maroon 5, Billy Idol, Pink and Trace Adkins.
The news follows New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday expressing some uncertainty as to the iconic Time’s Square festivities still moving forward as planned, saying he would make a decision before Christmas on whether to make any changes. “We’re going to make a decision before Christmas,” he said during a press briefing.
“We’re certainly looking at the new challenges we’re facing, but this is an all-vaccinated event and it is outdoors, and those are two very, very important, favorable factors. We’re also considering there’s other ways we can approach it even with current rules that could help to make it even stronger, so there’s a discussion going on. We will have a final decision on what we can do ahead of Christmas, for sure.” Several major cities — such as Los Angeles and Seattle — have already canceled major planned events.
