President Donald Trump has named Sylvester Stallone, Kiss and more as the 2025 Kenedy Center honorees. He is also set to host the event.
Trump announced the news during a press conference at the performing arts center on Wednesday. Other honorees include country singer-songwriter George Strait, British actor and comedian Michael Crawford and singer Gloria Gaynor.
“The 48th Kennedy Center Honorees are outstanding people, an outstanding group – incredible,” Trump said. “We can’t wait to celebrate the Kennedy Center Honors.”
This year’s Kennedy Center honorees are the first chosen since Trump took over as chairman of the board. In addition to hosting the show, Trump is producing the Kennedy Center Honors, which recognizes and celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to American culture through performing arts.
President Trump repeatedly skipped the Kennedy Center Honors during his first term after several honorees publicly criticized him in 2017. In February of this year, Trump announced he had been “unanimously” elected to lead the Kennedy Center’s board. The announcement followed a controversial move in which he replaced board members appointed by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Trump has previously criticized the Kennedy Center for featuring programming he considers excessively “woke.” “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST,” he posted on Truth Social earlier this year.
The annual Kennedy Center Honors traditionally takes place in Washington, D.C., in December and airs on CBS. Last year’s award recipients include filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the Grateful Dead, singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt, jazz musician Arturo Sandoval and the Apollo theater.
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