The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame officially unveiled its class of 2026 on Monday night, with Phil Collins, Oasis, Billy Idol, Wu-Tang Clan, Luther Vandross, Sade, Joy Division/New Order and Iron Maiden all inducted.
Ryan Seacrest and Lionel Richie revealed their recruits in the latest episode of American Idol For the Rock Hall episode of the show. Aside from the Performance category, Queen Latifah, Graham Parsons, Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti and MC Lyte will be honored with the Early Impact Award, while Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, Jamie Miller and Rick Rubin will each receive the Musical Excellence Award.
Artists reach Rock Hall eligibility when their first recording turns 25 years old. Collins, Vandross and the Wu-Tang Clan each enter the Hall on their first nominations. Collins was previously inducted with Genesis in 2010 and now joins the rare group of two-time inductees. Idol and Sade received approval for their second nominations, with Idol receiving their first nomination last year, while Sade was previously nominated in 2024. Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order and Oasis all received their third nominations.
“Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the highest honor in music,” John Sykes, president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating these outstanding artists at this year’s gala – it will be a night to remember.”
Perhaps the biggest snub this year is Mariah Carey, who was once again denied her third nomination after previously being nominated in 2021 and 2023. Lauryn Hill, PINK, The Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Melissa Etheridge and INXS were also denied entry this year.
Beyond performers, Ed Sullivan will be honored posthumously with the Ahmet Ertegun Award, reserved for non-performing industry figures for their impact on music. TV fixtures long ago The Ed Sullivan Show It has had a profound impact in bringing music to the masses, hosting historic television musical performances by Imani acts including Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, and most famously, the Beatles. These three Beatles performances in 1964 launched Beatlemania and the wider British Invasion, inspiring countless young musicians from Billy Joel to Bruce Springsteen and Aerosmith to go into music themselves. It is arguably the most important musical television performance of all time.
The induction ceremony will be taped on November 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles for the second year in a row, with the show then broadcast on ABC and Disney+ in December. The Rock Hall said the concert will return to Cleveland in 2027.
