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Andrea McArdle, Broadway’s original Annie, is stepping away from her role as Eleanor Roosevelt in NBC’s upcoming Annie Live! special due to a family matter.

“I am saddened to announce I will not be participating in Annie Live!,” McArdle said in a statement. “My father is currently in the hospital, and I need to put all of my energy into his health and well-being. I wish everyone involved with the production great success. Break a leg everyone.”

Bob Greenblatt, Executive Producer of Annie Live! said, “We love Andrea McArdle and our entire company is sending best wishes to her and her father. Our Annie, Celina Smith, is thrilled to have met her and she’s excited about following in her incredible footsteps.”

McArdle, who was Tony-nominated for her performance as the title character in the original 1977 Broadway production of Annie – and with her powerhouse vocals made a modern-day...

Actor Alan Toy is set to play Franklin Delano Roosevelt in NBC’s upcoming Annie Live! holiday event, becoming the first actor to have contracted polio in the role of the president who famously had the same disability.

The character of Fdr makes a brief but memorable appearance in the musical.

“It is a huge honor to join such a talented ensemble,” said Toy, an actor and activist who speaks often on how mass media depictions of disability influence that community’s place in society. “Fdr has always been a role model of accomplishment for me, and I’m thrilled to be able to play him.”

Toy also congratulated NBC and the Annie Live! producers “for authentically casting a person with a disability for this role. I’m proud to represent the community and hope that we will continue to see more of the Disability Community in roles across entertainment media.

Bet your bottom dollar this cast is making history! Alan Toy has been cast as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in NBC’s Annie Live! musical, airing Thursday, December 2. The network previously announced that triple-threat veterans Taraji P. Henson, Harry Connick Jr., Nicole Scherzinger, Tituss Burgess, and Megan Hilty will headline the cast, with newcomer Celina Smith at the helm in the titular role of Annie. Like F.D.R., Toy is a polio survivor. He is the first actor with paralysis to portray F.D.R. in a production of Annie. “It is a huge honor to join such a talented ensemble,” Toy said in a press statement. “F.D.R. has always been a role model of accomplishment for me, and I’m thrilled to be able to play him. I tip my hat to NBC and the producers of Annie Live! for authentically casting a person with a Disability for this role.