As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in New York, many live-entertainment events have been canceled or postponed in the big city. As excited as people are to ring in a New Year, Fox’s New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast 2022 is not immune to cancellation. Fox announced Tuesday evening that the spread of Omicron has “made it impossible to produce a live special in Times Square†and that it will be finding replacement programming for New Year’s. The canceled event was going to be hosted by Community co-stars Joel McHale and Ken Jeong, with special correspondent Kelly Osbourne. Scheduled musical acts for the night were Imagine Dragons, Trace Adkins, and Billy Idol. The full statement from Fox is below:
“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. 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.â€