1972–1975: Conception and premiere hosted the first edition of ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' in 1972. hosted the second edition of ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' in 1973. Prior to the premiere of ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'', the most well-known New Year's Eve program was the annual
big band remote of bandleader
Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians, broadcast from the ballroom of the
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Guy Lombardo hosted 48 straight New Year's Eve broadcasts on
CBS until his death in 1977, beginning on radio in 1928 (and for a period, splitting with
NBC Radio following midnight ET), and on CBS Television from
1956 to
1976 (which also featured coverage of the ball drop in Times Square). Lombardo was also well known for his band's performance of the song "
Auld Lang Syne" at midnight, which helped make the
standard synonymous with the New Year's holiday in North America. At the time,
Dick Clark was well known as the host of
American Bandstand, a music program produced from the studios of
Philadelphia television station WFIL-TV (now
WPVI-TV) and broadcast by
ABC.
Bandstand itself aired a New Year's Eve special on December 31, 1959. By the 1970s, Clark felt that Guy Lombardo's New Year's specials were outdated and did not appeal well to younger viewers; he believed that only older viewers would be interested in
big band music accompanied by "people dancing cheek-to-jowl in their
tuxedos and funny hats". The second special, '''''New Year's Rockin' Eve '74''''', also on NBC, was hosted by comedian
George Carlin and featured pre-recorded musical performances by
The Pointer Sisters,
Billy Preston,
Linda Ronstadt and
Tower of Power once again from the Queen Mary ballroom. Beginning with the 1974-75 edition, the program moved to ABC and Clark assumed hosting duties;
1976–1999: Rise in popularity , creator, original host, and namesake of the show Following Guy Lombardo's death in 1977, CBS and the Royal Canadians attempted to continue their New Year's Eve broadcasts from the Waldorf-Astoria for 1977–78. However, the effects of Lombardo's absence led to a decline in viewership, allowing ''New Year's Rockin' Eve
to overtake the Royal Canadians in viewership in only its sixth year on-air. The threat of the new special also prompted CBS to discontinue the Royal Canadians special entirely in 1979 in favor of a new special, Happy New Year, America'', which premiered for New Year's Eve 1979–80. With its recent success, Clark began hoping that ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' would become a television tradition of its own, lamenting that "Lombardo would always win [in New York] because of the Waldorf and 35 years of tradition, but we finally got it wrested." Clark's hopes soon became reality, as ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' had displaced Guy Lombardo as the most popular and most-watched New Year's Eve special on American television in the years following. The 1988 edition was co-hosted by
China Beach cast members
Marg Helgenberger and
Brian Wimmer from the Cocoanut Grove club at the
Ambassador Hotel. In 1990, New Year's Eve fell on a Monday; on that night, ABC was scheduled to broadcast a
Monday Night Football game between the
Los Angeles Rams and the
New Orleans Saints. Fearing that his special would not be able to start on time (as ABC usually began its
Monday Night Football coverage at the time at 9:00 p.m. ET, which regularly delayed local and network late-night programming), Clark asked ABC to move the game's start time one hour early to 8:00 p.m., so that ''Rockin' Eve'' would run at its normal time.
Mark Curry and
Holly Robinson of the ABC sitcom ''
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper co-hosted for 1993–94, with segments at Walt Disney World featuring performances by acts such as Brooks and Dunn and Kiss, along with the marriage of two California firefighters, Laura Turpin and Bob Hutnyan. The 1994–95 edition was co-hosted with Margaret Cho and Steve Harvey (then respectively starring in the ABC sitcoms All-American Girl and Me and the Boys'', both of which would be cancelled by the end of that television season), and included musical performances from
Melissa Etheridge,
Hootie & the Blowfish and
Salt-N-Pepa. The 1996–97 edition was co-hosted by
Stacey Dash and
Donald Faison of the ABC comedy series
Clueless, and included performances by
Jann Arden, Kiss,
"Weird Al" Yankovic,
The Presidents of the United States of America, and
The Tony Rich Project. This edition also marked the 25th anniversary of ''New Year's Rockin' Eve
; Clark marked this accomplishment by discussing the greatest challenges he had faced hosting the special, including being unable to hear his director over the loud crowds in Times Square, harsh weather conditions, and a year where the host had to contend with a group of 30 naked attendees in the background. Clark aimed to continue hosting the special through the year 2000. Ultimately, Clark hosted the program nearly uninterrupted through 2004. In later years, New Year's Rockin' Eve'' itself would be extended further into the night following the conclusion of coverage from New York. The
ABC 2000 Today telecast overall also received a
Peabody Award. Reflecting on the event, Clark was enthusiastic about his participation, feeling that it was one of the biggest nights he had ever spent in Times Square. The 2002 edition of ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'', its 29th edition, featured pre-recorded concert performances from tours by
Aerosmith,
Destiny's Child, and
Elton John during the primetime hour, followed by studio segments (again hosted by Wayne Brady) featuring performances by
Blink-182,
Bush,
Busta Rhymes,
Jessica Simpson,
LFO,
The O'Jays, and
Pink. The primetime hour of ''New Year's Rockin' Eve 2002
was also preceded by ABC 2002
, a sequel to the ABC 2000 Today'' special hosted by Peter Jennings from the
Rose Center for Earth and Space. The three-and-a-half-hour special featured a "meaningful and reflective" view on New Year's celebrations from around the world, and also included performances by
Arlo Guthrie,
Sting, and
U2. Clark personally felt that 2002, since it was the first after the
September 11 attacks, was the most "nerve-racking" New Year's Eve he had ever experienced. It was officially announced on December 14 that Dick Clark would not be hosting, and that
Regis Philbin would fill in for Clark. In a statement, Clark said that he was thankful that Philbin was able to be appointed quickly on short notice to host the show, and hoped that he would do a good job. Philbin was optimistic about his role, considering it the "best
temp job ever". Various personalities paid tribute to Clark throughout the night; the ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' broadcast featured special celebrity messages for Clark, and revelers in Times Square were seen with signs saluting Clark. During
CNN's coverage, revelers in Times Square told
CNN's
Jason Carroll that Philbin did a decent job filling in for Clark.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke with Philbin on Clark's absence during the show, noting that "it isn't that we don't like Regis, but we want [Clark] back next year." Virginia Heffernan of
The New York Times believed that Philbin was feeling "surprisingly nervous" in his role at host, and felt that "rowdy crowds" (which Philbin chose to avoid by staying in the studio) and the success of
Rod Stewart's music career (which Philbin pounced on to promote his new album, "When You're Smiling") were bothering him.
2006: Dick Clark's return In August 2005, ABC announced that Dick Clark would return to ''New Year's Rockin' Eve
for its 2006 edition, marking his first television appearance since the stroke. For that broadcast, it was also announced Clark would be joined by a new co-host, media personality and American Idol'' host
Ryan Seacrest. Seacrest had previously hosted
Fox's competing ''
New Year's Eve Live,
which would be hosted by Philbin that year. Speaking to USA Today, Seacrest reminisced on having watched New Year's Rockin' Eve'' in his childhood, stating that "I knew when I was on other shows, I knew we weren't going to beat Dick Clark. He is New Year's Eve." As a part of a long-term deal with Dick Clark Productions, Seacrest also became an
executive producer for the special. For the 2005–06 special, actress and pop singer
Hilary Duff would host the Hollywood studio segments. The special would be headlined by
Mariah Carey, who would give the special's first-ever live performance from Times Square itself. While officials from the
NYPD were initially wary of allowing the performance due to
crowd control concerns, Times Square performances would become a regular feature of subsequent editions of ''New Year's Rockin' Eve''. During the program, Clark made limited on-air appearances, but still conducted his traditional countdown, and also recollected on his recent experiences: Public curiosity over Clark's condition and his return to television helped ''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2006'' draw in over 20 million viewers throughout the night, and score a 7.1
audience share among the key demographic of 18- to 49-year-olds. Reaction to Clark's appearance was mixed. While some television critics (including Tom Shales of
The Washington Post, in an interview with the
CBS Radio Network) felt he was not in good enough shape to do the broadcast, stroke survivors and many of Clark's fans praised the emcee for being a role model for people dealing with post-stroke recovery.
The New York Times Brian Stelter compared Seacrest's new role as co-host of ''Rockin' Eve
to being like a "traffic cop", "tossing to bands and correspondents and to Mr. Clark for the countdown". Beginning with the 2009 edition, the program began to be billed as Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest''. For its 2010 edition, headlining performances in Times Square included
Daughtry, and
Jennifer Lopez (who infamously wore a dark-colored
catsuit for her performance to mixed reviews), while
Melissa Rycroft served as a correspondent. Fergie hosted concert segments on-location from
Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring performances by her group the
Black Eyed Peas,
Colbie Caillat, Robin Thicke,
Keri Hilson,
Selena Gomez,
Justin Bieber,
David Guetta, and
Orianthi.
American Idol season 8 runner-up
Adam Lambert stated that he was also reportedly scheduled to perform, but was canceled from both ''Rockin' Eve
and a scheduled appearance on fellow ABC program Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' in response to his
controversial performance at the
American Music Awards (which are also produced by Dick Clark Productions). Neither ABC nor Dick Clark Productions ever confirmed whether or not Lambert had been booked at all, however. The 2011 edition featured live performances by
Kesha,
Taio Cruz and the supergroup
NKOTBSB (the combined
Backstreet Boys and
New Kids on the Block), and actress
Jenny McCarthy served as a reporter from Times Square. Fergie reprised her role as host for the pre-recorded Hollywood segments, which featured performances by
Avril Lavigne (including the world premiere of "
What the Hell", the lead single from her then-upcoming album
Goodbye Lullaby), Natasha Bedingfield,
Jennifer Hudson, Ne-Yo,
Train,
Mike Posner,
Willow Smith,
Jason Derülo,
Far East Movement,
La Roux,
Kesha, and
Drake. Musical guests in Times Square included
Lady Gaga (who also joined Mayor Michael Bloomberg in activating the ball drop), Justin Bieber,
Pitbull and
Hot Chelle Rae. and Robin Thicke. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first edition of ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' aired in 1972, the primetime portion of the show was preceded by a two-hour retrospective special focusing on memorable music performances from the show's history.
2013–2016: Death of Dick Clark and aftermath On April 18, 2012, Dick Clark died after suffering a
heart attack following surgery to fix an
enlarged prostate. Neither ABC or Dick Clark Productions immediately commented on the future of the program. In August 2012, ABC confirmed via a press release that ''New Year's Rockin' Eve
would return for its 2012–13 edition. The primetime hour of this edition was preceded by a two-hour tribute special, New Year's Rockin' Eve Celebrates Dick Clark''. Clark's legacy was also recognized by the Times Square Alliance, organizers of the ball drop: a triangular
Waterford Crystal panel engraved with Dick Clark's name was presented to his
widow Kari Wigton and installed on the ball. That year, the special was aired in simulcast in Canada for first time by
Citytv, replacing its coverage of concert festivities at
Toronto's
Nathan Phillips Square (the network's
local station continued to sponsor the event, however). While viewership was down by 5%, ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' was still the highest-rated among the New Year's specials. On February 7, 2014, ABC announced that it had renewed ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' through 2024. The 2016 edition featured
One Direction's final U.S. television appearance before their planned hiatus.
2017–2020: New Orleans expansion, Mariah Carey incident and return The 2017 edition expanded to feature coverage of New Year's Eve festivities in
New Orleans hosted by
Lucy Hale, with performances by Jason Derulo and
Panic! at the Disco from the
Sugar Bowl's Allstate Fan Fest concert, and
Jackson Square's
fleur-de-lis drop at midnight in the
Central Time Zone. The segments were subsidized by New Orleans and the state of Louisiana as a means of promoting tourism. While household ratings for the late-night portion of the broadcast were down by 9% in comparison to 2016, ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' was once again the highest-rated New Year's special across the major networks, with a 9.0 rating in metered markets, and a 6.8 rating among adults 18–49.
Mariah Carey was one of the Times Square headliners for the 2017 edition. Her performance was notably marred by technical issues; when opening with "
Emotions", Carey remarked throughout the song that she was unable to hear her backing track. On her second song, "
We Belong Together", she briefly sang the song with a backing track before abruptly stopping. A representative of the singer claimed that Carey had alerted production staff that her
in-ear monitors were not working, but that they refused to address the situation, and alleged that they were "[setting] her up to fail". Dick Clark Productions denied any wrongdoing, stating that they "had no involvement" in the incident, and that the allegations by Carey's management that they had intentionally sabotaged her performance were "defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd". New Jersey's
Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) had announced plans for a live performance from
Atlantic City's
Boardwalk Hall by an unannounced artist, but these plans were canceled, citing "scheduling conflicts and other considerations".
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the CRDA's contract to host the DCP-produced
Miss America pageant in Atlantic City contained provisions allowing "promotional accommodations" for the city in other DCP-produced programming, such as ''New Year's Rockin' Eve
and the Billboard Music Awards. Robert Mulcahy, chairman of the board for the CRDA, explained that Live Nation (which was to fund the broadcast using cash left over from canceled beach concerts) were unable to find an act that met the approval of DCP, and added that local casinos declined to fund the performance, as they preferred to host their own parties rather than book major acts. The 2018 edition saw major ratings gains, especially in primetime; the 8:00–10:00 p.m. primetime segment reached 10.5 million viewers with a 3.1/13 rating among 18–49, and the 10:00 p.m. hour reached 15.7 million viewers and a 5.0/20 rating among 18–49, the highest ratings to date for the 10:00 p.m. segment. New Year's Rockin' Eve''s only major competitor on English-language network television was Fox's inaugural ''
New Year's Eve with Steve Harvey, as NBC was committed to air Sunday Night Football'' if the NFL shifted a Week 17 game with playoff implications into primetime (however, the NFL decided against doing so, and NBC aired rerun programming in primetime instead). On November 13, 2018, it was announced that
YouTube Music would be a presenting sponsor of the 2019 edition. The service is also presenting sponsor of the DCP-produced American Music Awards. With the return of ''
NBC's New Year's Eve'' after a hiatus, the 2019 edition experienced a decline in ratings to an 8.3 household share for its late-night portion, but was once again the top-rated among the New Year's specials. On October 7, 2019, Jenny McCarthy stated on
Live with Kelly and Ryan that she would not appear as the Times Square correspondent for the 2020 edition of ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'', citing a desire to spend the holiday with her family, and her commitments to
season 3 of Fox's
The Masked Singer. Lucy Hale would serve as Times Square correspondent in place of McCarthy, while
Billy Porter of the
FX series
Pose hosted the New Orleans segments in place of Hale, and also performed his song "
Love Yourself". Ciara again hosted the Hollywood concert segments. Longtime
ABC News journalist
Barbara Walters (via file footage) and other ABC personalities also played into a
social media meme involving her longtime intro to the ABC newsmagazine
20/20, by noting in a segment that "This is 2020". The broadcast also introduced a sponsored segment featuring a "first millionaire of 2020" promotion by the
Powerball lottery.
2021–present: Puerto Rico, Las Vegas and Chicago expansions Hale and Porter returned as Times Square correspondents for the 2021 edition.
Cyndi Lauper performed a duet with Porter, who had been a cast member for her Broadway musical
Kinky Boots. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, both the Times Square and New Orleans
Big Freedia hosted the New Orleans segments of the special. In December 2020, it was reported that Mayor of New Orleans
LaToya Cantrell had sent a letter to DCP requesting that
Lauren Daigle (a
Christian singer from Louisiana who had seen recent success as a pop
crossover) not appear as a New Orleans-based performer for the special, citing her recent guest appearance during a worship event organized by
Sean Feucht that was not approved by the city, and violated COVID-19-related public health orders. After criticism of the letter by state lieutenant governor
Billy Nungesser (who maintained that Daigle had mistaken it for a legitimate event), a DCP staff member told
The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate that Daigle had not actually been booked at all. The 2022 edition, which marked the 50th anniversary of the first edition of ''New Year's Rockin' Eve,'' added coverage from the U.S. territory of
Puerto Rico, consisting of segments from
Distrito T-Mobile in
San Juan, Puerto Rico hosted by
Roselyn Sánchez and headlined by rapper
Daddy Yankee, and the special's first broadcast of midnight celebrations in the
Atlantic Time Zone to conclude the primetime block at 11:00 p.m. ET. Billy Porter returned as host of the New Orleans segments, while
Liza Koshy reported from Times Square.
D-Nice also made guest appearances for the Los Angeles segments alongside Ciara. While
LL Cool J was originally announced as one of the headlining acts in Times Square, he withdrew on December 29 due to a COVID-19 infection.
Chlöe also withdrew from the special for unspecified reasons. On December 31, ABC announced that
Karol G canceled her appearance, but that
Ashanti and
Ja Rule had also joined the lineup. ABC confirmed that Koshy, Porter, Ciara, and D-Nice would all return in their respective roles for the 2023 edition. To promote its then-upcoming "100 Years of Wonder" events for
The Walt Disney Company's centennial year, concert segments were also filmed at
Disneyland in Anaheim. The special also returned to Puerto Rico, with
Farruko as featured performer and
Dayanara Torres as host. "Part 1" of the primetime block now ended at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT rather than 11:00, and resumed with "Part 2" from 10:30—11:30 p.m. ET/PT, which included the Atlantic Time countdown from San Juan. The 11:30 p.m.—12:36 a.m. block containing the Times Square ball drop was now billed as "Part 1" of the late-night broadcast. joined the special as a Times Square correspondent. On November 20, 2023, ABC and Dick Clark Productions announced that it had renewed ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' through 2028–29. The New Orleans segments and Central Time festivities were discontinued due to low local tourism and municipal subsidies to fund the segments. Ratings improved over 2023, with the primetime block averaging 7.03 million viewers (but notably being beaten by CBS's ''New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash'', which drew 8.31 million during that block through an
NFL lead-in), and 18 million for part 1 of the late-night portion (peaking at 22 million near midnight). The 2025 edition—Seacrest's 20th as host—featured segments from
Las Vegas in partnership with
MGM Resorts, hosted by
Rob Gronkowski. The 2025–26 edition also reinstated Central Time segments, which were co-hosted from
Chicago by
Chance the Rapper.
Julianne Hough joined Gronkowski as a co-host for the Las Vegas segments. In addition, the late-night portion of the special was extended to 4:00 a.m. ET; at eight hours in total, it was stated to be the longest runtime for a ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' telecast to date. ==Specials==