The 2022 Grammy Awards will not take place on January 31 as originally planned.
Omicron variant-fueled surges in COVID-19 cases have led to the Grammy Awards being postponed indefinitely. The Recording Academy and CBS announced the postponement in a joint statement on Wednesday (January 5).
“After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy and CBS have postponed the 64th Annual Grammy Awards Show,” the statement read. “The health and safety of those in our music community, the live audience and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly to produce our show remains our top priority.”
The Recording Academy and CBS added, “Given the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, holding the show on January 31 simply contains too many risks. We look forward to celebrating Music’s Biggest Night on a future date, which will be announced soon.”
This year’s event is the second Grammy Awards ceremony to be delayed due to the pandemic. Last year, the show was pushed back from January 31 to March 14, 2021 due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles.
The 2022 Grammy Awards were going to be held at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly known as the Staples Center) in downtown Los Angeles. The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah is still expected to host the event when it’s rescheduled.