Fox cancels New Year’s Eve live in Times Square

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – APRIL 20: Ken Jeong returns to the stage during Dr. Ken’s Comedy Night at The Laugh Factory on April 20, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rich Polk / Getty Images for Sony Pictures Television)

fox canceled its second annual New Year’s Eve Toast & Toast, broadcast live from New York’s Times Square.

According to a recent notification, the move is due to a recent increase in COVID-19 cases from the highly contagious variant of Omicron.

“While we believe in health and safety protocols for Fox 2022 New Year’s Eve Toast & Toast, the rate at which the recent Omicron cases spread has made it impossible for us to produce a Times Square live special that meets our standards,” Fox Entertainment said in a statement on Tuesday night.

“We will not move forward with Fox 2022 New Year’s Eve Toast & Toast in New York. The health and safety of our cast and crew is always, and will continue to be, of paramount importance. Alternative programming for New Year’s Eve on Fox will be announced in the coming days. ”

The show features scheduled performances by artists including Imagine Dragons, Billy Idol, P! Nk and Maroon 5 with Community actors Ken Jeong and Joel McHale co-host the show. Whether or not Fox will feature these artists on the alternative New Year’s Eve show has yet to be announced.

Fox’s New Year’s Eve Toast & Toast Not the first New York event to be cancelled. Rock band LCD Soundsystem recently announced that they have pulled out of their last three programs due to similar COVID concerns.

All of the events in Times Square are in full swing at the moment as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has shared concerns surrounding the challenges being faced. “We will make a decision by Christmas,” de Blasio said in a statement news conference.