Actor Sylvester Stallone, disco singer Gloria Gaynor and rock band KISS will be recognized as Kennedy Center Honors recipients, in the first awards gala held since President Trump’s overhaul of Washington’s prominent arts destination.
Trump announced the honorees at the performing arts center on Wednesday, where he also said he would host the gala. British actor Michael Crawford and country singer George Strait will also be a recipients.
The announcement of this year’s honors recipients came months after Trump booted several members of the Kennedy Center’s bipartisan board and named himself its chairman, claiming the performing arts institution had become too “woke.” Many entertainers exited from their roles in the wake of Trump’s unprecedented move, with others canceling their scheduled performances.
Past Kennedy Center Honors recipients — an award for lifetime artistic achievement typically given to a diverse group of theater, dance, music, and TV and film stars — include: Aretha Franklin, Bono, Meryl Streep, Rita Moreno, Tom Hanks, Paul McCartney, Robert De Niro and LL Cool J, among many others. The awards ceremony marked its 47th year in 2024.
Trump bucked tradition by skipping the annual ceremony throughout his first term in office after several of the award winners criticized him in 2017. He made his first public appearance at the Kennedy Center as president shortly after he seized control.
The president, following a March tour, said he was “disappointed” by what he saw and vowed to “fix it up.”
In June, he attended the opening night of “Les Misérables” alongside first lady Melania Trump.
