Diana Ross to Headline Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2026 in Times Square
The legendary singer will close out 2025 with a live Times Square performance as the marquee act for ABC’s New Year’s special.
Diana Ross will welcome the new year as the headline performer in Times Square for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2026. The broadcast — airing Wednesday, December 31, 2025, from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. ET on ABC (and available the following day on Hulu) — will be the most expansive and musically varied edition in the program’s 54-year history.
In a message announcing the engagement, Ross urged viewers to embrace renewal, opportunity and togetherness as they step into 2026.
For the Times Square set, Ross plans to perform a medley of her signature songs, including classics such as “I’m Coming Out” and “Upside Down.” With The Supremes, she amassed 12 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — more than any other American or female group — and since launching her solo career in 1970 she has added six additional Hot 100 chart-toppers, among them “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and the Lionel Richie duet “Endless Love.”
Career highlights
- Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Supremes), 1988
- Special Tony Award recipient, 1977
- Kennedy Center Honors, 2007
- Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, 2012
- Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2016
- Second Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement recognition (with The Supremes), 2023
Last year’s Times Square headliner was Carrie Underwood; that telecast attracted more than 29 million viewers at midnight. Mariah Carey has also been announced as a performer for this year’s show — Carey and Ross previously shared the stage for Supremes classics at VH1 Divas 2000, an early example of Ross’s influence on generations of pop and R&B artists.
A total of 39 performers are scheduled to appear live across several locations — New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Puerto Rico and more — with a lineup that spans contemporary hitmakers and veteran names. Among those listed: Chappell Roan, Post Malone, Leon Thomas, Charlie Puth and HUNTR/X, alongside established acts including Rick Springfield, New Kids on the Block, 4 Non Blondes and Goo Goo Dolls.
The 2026 broadcast will be the longest in the show’s run, adding roughly 90 minutes to last year’s runtime and featuring more than 85 songs across the event.
Hosts and production
Ryan Seacrest returns as the program’s lead host, joined in Times Square by Rita Ora. Chance the Rapper will preside over the Central Time Zone countdown from Chicago, while Rob Gronkowski and Julianne Hough will co-host from Las Vegas, with Hough making her New Year’s Rockin’ Eve co-hosting debut. Production is handled by Dick Clark Productions, with Ryan Seacrest, Michael Dempsey and Barry Adelman serving as executive producers.
