The 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees were announced during Monday night’s episode of “American Idol,” and New Edition didn’t make the cut.
The Roxbury-raised R&B group was one of 17 performer nominees this year, marking their first Rock Hall nomination. Billy Idol, Phil Collins, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan were ultimately named members of the 2026 induction class.
The eight honorees will be celebrated during a Nov. 14 ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The presentation will air on ABC in December and be available to stream on Disney+.
This year’s inductees were revealed during the latest episode of “American Idol,” with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo on hand to perform Benatar’s hit “Heartbreaker” and Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” plus serve as guest mentors for the show’s contestants. The evening kicked off with judge and season 4 “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood performing “Rebel Yell” alongside Billy Idol and his frequent collaborator, Steve Stevens (who’s set to be inducted into the Rock Hall with Idol).
The current crop of “American Idol” hopefuls also performed songs made famous by past Rock Hall inductees, with highlights including contestant Rae Boyd singing “MacArthur Park” from Boston’s late Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, Braden Rumfelt’s rendition of “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, and Daniel Stallworth’s funky take on “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi.
Despite coming up short for the 2026 induction class, New Edition, which formed more than 40 years ago in Boston’s Orchard Park housing projects, led the online fan vote ahead of Monday’s announcement, with the final results serving as a single ballot alongside the nominee ballots from an “international voting panel composed of over 1,200 artists, historians, and music industry professionals,” according to a press release. New Edition earned over a million fan votes, approximately 120,000 more than Collins, who placed second on the fan ballot.
In addition to this year’s performer inductees, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame named recipients across additional categories, with the late Ed Sullivan earning the Ahmet Ertegun award. Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller, and Rick Rubin also will be honored with the musical excellence award, and Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, and Gram Parsons earned recognition as winners of the early influence award.
Along with New Edition, other 2026 performer nominees who didn’t make the cut include The Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Mariah Carey, Melissa Etheridge, Lauryn Hill, INXS, P!NK, and Shakira.
Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com.