The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame officially unveiled its 2026 class on Monday night, with Phil Collins, Oasis, Billy Idol, Wu-Tang Clan, Luther Vandross, Sade, Joy Division/New Order and Iron Maiden all named as inductees.
Ryan Seacrest and Lionel Richie revealed the inductees on the latest episode of American Idol for the show’s Rock Hall episode. Beyond the performer category, Queen Latifah, Graham Parsons, Celia Cruz Fela Kuti and MC Lyte will all be honored with the early influence award, while Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin will receive the musical excellence award.
Artists reach Rock Hall eligibility when their debut recording turns 25 years old. Collins, Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan are all getting into the hall on their first nominations. Collins was previously inducted with Genesis back in 2010 and is now joining the rarer group of two-time inductees. Idol and Sade got the nod on their second nominations, with Idol earning his first nomination last year, while Sade was previously nominated in 2024. Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order and Oasis are all getting in on their third nominations.
“Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is music’s highest honor,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, said in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating these remarkable artists at this year’s ceremony — it’s going to be an unforgettable night.”
Perhaps the biggest snub this year is Mariah Carey, who was denied once again on her third nomination after previously getting nominated in 2021 and 2023. Also denied entry this year are Lauryn Hill, Pink, The Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Melissa Etheridge and INXS.
Outside of the performers, Ed Sullivan will be posthumously honored with the Ahmet Ertegun award, which is reserved for non-performing industry figures for their influence on music. The longtime TV fixture’s Ed Sullivan Show had a profound impact on bringing music to the masses, hosting historic television music performances from Emany acts including Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and, most famously, the Beatles. Those three Beatles performances in 1964 launched Beatlemania and the broader British Invasion, inspiring countless young musicians from Billy Joel to Bruce Springsteen and Aerosmith to get into music themselves. It’s arguably the most important music television performance of all time.
The induction ceremony will tape on Nov. 14 at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles for the second year in a row, with the show then airing on ABC and Disney+ in December. The Rock Hall said the ceremony would return to Cleveland in 2027.
