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Leon Thomas attends DoorDash x Leon Thomas Presents: “FOR THE PHOLKS” on November 22, 2025 in New York City, BigXthaPlug attends the 2025 Country Music Awards, Ciara attends the Femme It Forward’s 4th Annual Give Her FlowHERS Gala, and Mariah Carey performs during Mariah Carey’s “Christmastime In Las Vegas”
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Leon Thomas, BigXthaPlug, Chance the Rapper and Ciara will help welcome 2026 as part of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest.” On Tuesday (Dec. 2), the annual telecast revealed its lineup, and it’s massive, to say the least.
Along with the names already mentioned, viewers can expect performances from Mariah Carey, 50 Cent and 6LACK as part of the rap and R&B slate. DJ Cassidy will also bring his “Pass the Mic Live!” segment to the celebration with Busta Rhymes, T.I. and Wyclef Jean. As The Hollywood Reporter noted, the Times Square headliner and additional special guests will be announced at a later date.
Starting on Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET, this year’s edition will run longer than any before it, thanks to an added 1½ hours of content. Festivities are expected to start in New York and continue through Las Vegas, Chicago and Puerto Rico. In the meantime, see the lineup below.
Many of the artists mentioned above are either in the middle of meteoric years or heading into them — some of them are experiencing both. Thomas, for example, is the most-nominated R&B act at the 2026 Grammy Awards, which will take place in February. He’s currently on the road for his “Mutts Don’t Heel Tour.”
6LACK was also nominated thanks to his contribution to JID’s “Wholeheartedly.” BigXthaPlug, meanwhile, released I Hope You’re Happy with some of the biggest names across country music, including Luke Combs and Post Malone. Notably, the latter will appear at “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” as well.
Ciara returned in August with CiCi, home to “This Right Here” featuring Latto, “How We Roll” with Chris Brown and the TikTok-viral “Ecstasy.” All in all, there’s plenty to look forward to on Dec. 31, whether it’s the performances or locking in on your New Year’s resolutions.
