The incredible wall of secrecy has come down and voters’ wishes regarding who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year have been revealed. The eight performers voted into the Class of 2026 are:
●Phil Collins
●Billy Idol
●Iron Maiden
●Joy Division/New Order
●Oasis
●Sade
●Luther Vandross
●Wu-Tang Clan
This year, we have 17 nominees, more than ever before. The results of the vote mean nine candidates won’t be able to compete in 2026 (no doubt Hall hopes he doesn’t say he despises them). These are the Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Mariah Carey, Melissa Ethridge, Lauryn Hill, INXS, New Edition, Pink, and Shakira.
But the Hall has found inclusiveness in other ways, with not just eight inductees this year, but a whopping 18. The remaining 10 were chosen by members of the Rock Hall committee outside of an extensive voting process, not as “performers” per se, but in the categories of early influence, musical excellence, and the singular Ahmet Ertegun Award. These additional Hall of Fame inductees are:
Early Impact Award:
Celia Cruz Fela Kuti Queen Latifah MC Lyte Gram Parsons
Music Excellence Award:
Linda Creed Arif Mardin Jimmy Miller Rick Rubin
Ahmet Ertegun Award:
These honorees were announced live on Monday night’s episode of “American Idol” during a Hall of Fame-themed episode with 2022 inductees Lionel Richie and Ryan Seacrest.
The induction ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on November 14th and will air on ABC and Disney+ at some point in December, producers announced. For the past three years (2023-2025) since Disney acquired the rights to air the show, the entire show has aired live on Disney+, with an edited version airing on ABC several months later, but it appears the live broadcast has been postponed to 2026.
Collins was previously inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis, but this year marks the first time he has been included on the ballot as a solo artist. Besides Collins, two first-time contestants, Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan, are among the first-time nominees.
Oasis, Iron Maiden and Joy Division/New Order were selected for the third time. This was the second time Sade and Idol were selected for this award.
Notably, Parsons has been nominated three times, the last time being nominated over 20 years ago, and Kuti had been nominated twice before, but never received a vote. Their selection in the Early Influence category represents one of the workarounds the committee has come up with for artists who have proven time and time again that they can’t sway enough voters to get an entry…and yet artists who are always at the top of almost everyone’s “How could they not be nominated?” list. in? “list. (Cruise, Queen Latifah, and MC Lyte had never been nominated before.)
New Edition was the winner of the “fan vote” and the number of online votes is expected to increase each year. However, that collective vote actually didn’t carry much weight, so the group didn’t make it into the top eight.
Now that the list of Hall of Famers has been announced, the biggest question remaining is how Oasis singer Liam Gallagher will ultimately take his induction into the exclusive club, and whether he will resist it as he has in years past. In 2024, when Oasis were nominated for the first time, the notoriously grumpy vocalist reacted to the news, posting on X: “Fuck the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame full of Bambacrats.” Liam, who was still estranged from his brother Noel Gallagher at the time, added: “He loves hanging out with celebrities so I’m sure he’ll be there. As for me, I’m washing my hair and getting a pedicure and manicure.” However, it remains to be seen whether Liam still wants Noel to perform alone, as the rift between the brothers has been mended for the reunion tour.
Some nominees and winners who were initially resistant, like Dolly Parton, eventually do. Some don’t, like John Lydon and Todd Rundgren, who are famous for no-shows. (Last year, Chubby Checker refused to come, having long complained about his exclusion, but recorded his live acceptance speech.)
Perhaps the second and most worrying question is whether current and former members of New Order will reconcile and appear at the ceremony. Peter Hook was estranged from the rest of the group, who initially went their separate ways in 2007, but reunited without him in 2011. He sued the other members and a settlement was reached in 2017. Hook said last year: “Everything is colored by animosity…I don’t think they’re New Order. They don’t look like them.” (New Order’s inauguration would see them merge with their previous band, Joy Division, which ceased to exist after Ian Curtis died by suicide in 1980.)
Collins’ Hall of Fame performance would seem like a long shot. He says he will retire in 2022 due to health issues and needs 24-hour care. But fans may be hoping that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Some other Hall of Famers, including Idol, Iron Maiden and Wu-Tang Clan, continue to work as performers (even though there are sometimes questions about how many members of hip-hop collectives tour). Shard’s appearance will definitely be a coup for the show’s producers. As a band, Shard last released an album in 2010 and have not toured since 2011.
The October commencement ceremony will once again be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, and ticket information will be announced at a later date. In 2027, the Hall of Fame will be inducted for the first time in a year in Cleveland, home of the Hall of Fame’s namesake museum.
