Maren Morris Reveals ‘Worst Sinus Infection’ of Her Life Swelled Her Face Days Before New Year’s Eve Times Square Performance

The singer said the sinus infection also led to an “insane” skin reaction

Maren Morris on New Year’s Eve; Maren Morris on Instagram Stories.Credit : 

Maren Morris/Instagram (2)

Maren Morris’ sparkly New Year’s Eve performance was nearly derailed by a gnarly sinus infection.

The pop-country star, 35, commanded the crowd at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026 without a hitch, performing hits like “The Bones,” “The Middle” and “80s Mercedes.”

But just before taking the stage, Morris was doing her best to fight off a serious setback.

“Sorry jumpscare but days leading up to my performance, I had the worst sinus infection of my life and it swelled up my face and then proceeded to evolve into some insane skin reaction,” she wrote in an Instagram Stories post. “So, I’m relieved I was able to sing last night. Thank you antibiotics, afrin & aquaphor. Oh and concealer.”

The “Push Me Over” singer included a photo of her heavily swollen face, which was patchy and red.

She later posted a photo of two boxes of Afrin, a nasal decongestant spray, and assured fans she was “stopping today [for] all those concerned! 😂😭”

Maren Morris performing on New Year’s Eve in New York City.Kristina Bumphrey/Penske Media via Getty

Morris managed to power through the infection and remained fabulous for her performance, during which she rocked a furry white coat and a sparkly silver minidress with matching gloves.

The star recapped her eventful night in an Instagram post the next day, celebrating the fact that she got to meet Diana Ross and ring in the new year with a large crowd.

“performed in Times Square last night for NYE right as it started to snow, met the queen Diana Ross, had Janet help me button my bodysuit (that’s a real manager) and got super emo when confetti fell over thousands of hopeful, happy people in one of my favorite cities. happy 2026, world. 🌎 🪩,” she captioned her post.

Among the photos in her carousel were her sparkly outfit, with no swelling visible, her view of Times Square, confetti falling to the ground, and a photo of her manager Janet helping to button her outfit.

Morris released her fourth album, Dreamsicle, in May, marking a clear turn into pop territory for the country star.

She told PEOPLE in March that making the record — her first full-length release since divorcing husband Ryan Hurd in 2023 — was a “cathartic” experience.

“I feel like if it doesn’t feel like a risk, it’s probably not worth doing,” Morris said. “So I tried to leave enough on the bone to satisfy my healing. But also I’m not here to make a villain out of anyone or a hero out of myself. We all have both inside of us, so I just wanted to tell whatever would heal my heart. So that’s my aim here.”

Morris added that the writing and recording process was “a lot of like, ugly crying, a lot of manic laughter, the whole spectrum.”