LL Cool J has been forced to drop out of a big New Year’s Eve show after testing positive for COVID-19.
The 53-year-old rapper was set to headline Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest on ABC live from Times Square.
“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,” he said, in a statement.
“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!”
R&B singer Chlöe has also cancelled her performance on the show, although no reason was immediately announced.
Journey and Karol G remain as live performers on the show.
AJR, Måneskin, OneRepublic, Walker Hayes, French Montana and Canada’s Avril Lavigne are among the performers in pre-taped Los Angeles segments that are inserted throughout the broadcast.