LL Cool J Cancels NYE Performance In Times Square After Testing Positive For COVID-19
There’s disappointing news for LL Cool J fans who were looking forward to ringing in 2022 with what was sure to be a slamming New Year’s Eve performance by the old school rapper.
PEOPLE reports that LL Cool J canceled his Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve appearance scheduled for Friday night after testing positive for COVID-19.
"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!" the NCIS: Los Angeles star said.
The entertainer, whose real name is James Todd Smith, was scheduled for a pre-midnight performance on a stage in Times Square. Singer Chlöe also canceled her appearance at the popular New Year’s Eve show where she was expected to perform her solo debut single “Have Mercy,” according to Billboard.
Despite the rising tide of COVID-19 cases, the show will go on, though pared down. Still slated to perform are Big Boi and Sleepy Brown from Los Angeles and Billy Porter from New Orleans, among other entertainers who are still expected to take the stage, according to PEOPLE.
The surge of positive COVID-19 tests prompted New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to announce on Dec. 23 a scaled back Times Square New Year’s Eve. As a safety precaution, city officials will allow approximately 15,000 people in the iconic space to watch the ball drop, compared to normally hosting about 58,000 visitors in the viewing area.
Nationwide, the number of positive COVID-19 tests is shattering records. The seven-day average of new daily cases reached 301,000 on Wednesday (Dec. 29), The New York Times reported. That broke the previous record of 267,000 the day before.
The highly contagious Omicron variant is blamed for this latest spike that has caused more than two million reported cases across the country.
For the latest on the coronavirus, check out BET’s blog on the virus, and contact your local health department or visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
