LL Cool J Cancels New Years Eve Performance After Testing Positive For Covid-19

LL Cool J was slated to perform at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, on Friday, but had to cancel following a positive Covid-19 test.

The 53-year-old rapper and actor, whose real name is James Todd Smith, told People, “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 for NYRE.”

This positive case came as plans for the New Year’s Eve celebration were being scaled back by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in the wake of a surge in Covid cases. About 15,000 attendees will be allowed, which is a quarter of the usual New Year’s Eve numbers.

Due to the surge of Covid-19’s Omicron variant, several events have already been canceled, including Fox’s New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast. Singer Chloë of the group Chloë x Halle also walked away from an ABC performance in Times Square.

On December 27, the U.S. had a single-day record-breaking high of over 441,000 new Covid cases, surpassing a record set on January 8 of this year. The total Covid-19 death toll in the U.S. has reached approximately 821,000.

This winter spike has led to cancellations of many flights across the country, causing uncertainty for some Americans in the middle of holiday plans.