Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora will host the longest edition in the 54-year history of 'Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2026,' expanding by 90 minutes to start at 8 p.m. ET on December 31 on ABC. Building on the star-studded lineup announced earlier, the special adds a first-ever Central Time Zone countdown from Chicago, performances from over 42 artists across multiple cities, and more than 90 songs.
Hosts Ryan Seacrest (his 21st year) and Rita Ora (her third) posed with the newly unveiled Times Square Ball—the largest yet, featuring 5,280 Waterford crystals and LED pucks—ahead of the record-breaking broadcast.
New this year: a live Chicago countdown co-hosted by Chance the Rapper, plus celebrations from New York, Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, and Los Angeles. The over 42 performers, including headliners Diana Ross (Times Square), Post Malone, Chappell Roan, Ciara, LE SSERAFIM, Little Big Town, and Maren Morris, plus West Coast acts like Mariah Carey, Demi Lovato, OneRepublic, 50 Cent, Charlie Puth, and Huntr/x, boast 925 million monthly Spotify listeners and 102 billion career streams.
Seacrest reflected on personal hardships after losing his father, Gary, to prostate cancer in October: 'This was a tough year. I lost my best friend... People want to feel good.' Ora shared excitement for her fourth album and tour: 'It’s about getting in tune with my creativity.'
Produced by Dick Clark Productions, the show dominates New Year's Eve viewership, outpacing competitors like CBS's 'New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash' by 2.5 times, with next-day streaming on Hulu.
