Leslie Odom Jr. announced Wednesday afternoon that he had dropped out of the 2020 Christmas in Rockefeller Center program.
The musical performances were scheduled for later in the evening and featured a stacked lineup including Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani and Dolly Parton.
The star-studded performance will be hosted by the Today anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin and Al Roker.
MIA: Leslie Odom Jr., 39, was set to perform at Christmas in Rockefeller Center, before he revealed on Twitter on Wednesday that he wouldn’t be performing; seen in October 2019
Odom Jr. shared the news that he was sitting out the show on Twitter, though he didn’t explain what kept him from performing.
‘Sorry to miss the #RockCenterXMAS tree lighting tonight,’ he wrote.
All the best to the performers! Lighting the tree in my heart and singing along from home,’ he continued, adding fist bump and Christmas tree emojis.
The 39-year-old actor and singer is best known for playing the villainous Aaron Burr in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton.
The real-life Burr fell into political disgrace after he shot and killed his nemesis Alexander Hamilton in a duel, though he was never charged for the crime despite dueling being illegal.
The gifted singer would have been a logical choice for the Christmas-themed performances, as he has already released to albums of Christmas music: 2016’s Simply Christmas and The Christmas Album from November.
No details: Odom Jr. shared the news that he was sitting out the show on Twitter, though he didn’t explain what kept him from performing
Star-making turn: The actor and singer is best known for playing the villainous Aaron Burr in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton; seen in 2016
MCs: The star-studded performance will be hosted by the Today anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin and Al Roker
Kelly Clarkson is among the remaining performers for the evening.
The 38-year-old American Idol winner, who’s in the midst of a divorce from Brandon Blackstock, will be taking a break from her work as a coach on NBC’s The Voice.
She’ll have plenty of songs in her repertoire after releasing the Christmas album Wrapped In Red in 2013.
Country legend Dolly Parton will also be showing off her love of the holiday season.
In November, Netflix released the Christmas musical Christmas On The Square, which she starred in with Christine Baranski.
October saw the release of her first Christmas album in 30 years, A Holly Dolly Christmas.
She previously released the albums Home For Christmas in 1990 and the Kenny Rogers collaboration Once Upon A Christmas in 1984.
Headliner: Kelly Clarkson is among the remaining performers for the evening. She’ll have plenty of songs in her repertoire after releasing the Christmas album Wrapped In Red in 2013
Country legend: Dolly Parton will also be showing off her love of the holiday season. In November, Netflix released her Christmas musical Christmas On The Square; seen in November 2019
Kelly Clarkson’s fellow Voice judge Gwen Stefani was also among the performers this evening.
As part of this year’s socially distanced performances, which fans won’t be in the audience to see, many of the singers will be performing in locations across the country.
There will also be some comic relief, with Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon stepping in for a segment.
Voice stars: Kelly Clarkson’s fellow Voice judge Gwen Stefani was also among the performers this evening. She and others will be performing across the country
Having a laugh: There will also be some comic relief, with Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon stepping in for a segment; pictured in November in NYC
The Grammy-winning pop–country duo Dan + Shay will also be performing, as will singer Meghan Trainor.
Earth, Wind & Fire are also on the bill, and there’s a good chance they’ll be performing with the All About That Bass singer.
The group collaborated with her on the song Holiday from her album A Very Trainor Christmas, which was released in October.
New voices: The Grammy-winning pop–country duo Dan + Shay will also be performing, as will singer Meghan Trainor; seen in November
Collaboration: Meghan is likely to perform with Earth, Wind & Fire, who collaborated with her on her Christmas album A Very Trainor Christmas; seen in February in London
The Goo Goo Dolls will be among the groups performing in Rockefeller Center in person, though it won’t be a live performance.
The rock group was seen performing by the Christmas tree on Tuesday, in order to iron out any kinks before the broadcast on Wednesday night.
Nobody singer Tori Kelly joins the other performers with fresh holiday music to perform.
She released her first Christmas album A Tori Kelly Christmas in late October.
Rounding out the lineup will be the perennial holiday favorites Pentatonix.
The a cappella group have made Christmas music a staple of their live performances, and they have released multiple albums of the holiday tunes to date.
Rocking out: The Goo Goo Dolls will be among the groups performing in Rockefeller Center in person, though it won’t be a live performance as they recorded it on Tuesday
Holiday-themed: Nobody singer Tori Kelly joins the other performers with fresh holiday music to perform. She released her first Christmas album A Tori Kelly Christmas in late October; seen on Wednesday
Vocal group: Rounding out the lineup will be the perennial holiday favorites Pentatonix. The a cappella group have made Christmas music a staple of their live performances