Things are looking a little different for this year’s Kennedy Center Honors.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump revealed the star-studded lineup of honorees being recognized for their artistic and cultural influence as the first group of Kennedy Center Honors nominees under his leadership as the center’s chairman.
The honorees include country music titan George Strait, glam-metal icons Kiss, English actor and comedian Michael Crawford, Rocky star Sylvester Stallone, and singer Gloria Gaynor.
Awarded at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, the Kennedy Center Honors recognize the lifetime achievements of artists who have made profound contributions to the cultural life in America. Past honorees include Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Crystal, Quincy Jones, Rita Moreno, Herbie Hancock, Dick Van Dyke, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, Renée Fleming, and Francis Ford Coppola.
Along with the nominee reveal, Trump announced that he’ll host the awards program this year — which he said he hadn’t wanted to do but had been invited to do so and agreed. He added that he plans to “fully renovate” the entire infrastructure of the Kennedy Center to make it a “crown jewel” of arts and culture in the United States.
“We’re going to bring it to a higher level than it ever hit,” Trump added, claiming the venue would be featured in next year’s celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary.
Trump teased the announcement on Truth Social on Tuesday, writing in part: “GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS,” referring to a bill in Congress that would rename the performing arts venue after him.
He continued, “Tremendous work is being done, and money being spent, on bringing it back to the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment.”
In a statement on its social media feed, the Kennedy Center said it was “honored” to host Trump, who was visiting for the third time since January.
“Thanks to his advocacy, our beautiful building will undergo renovations to restore its prestige and grandeur,” the venue said.
The center also teased the nominee reveal on Tuesday, offering some clues in an Instagram caption: “a country music icon, an Englishman, a New York City Rock band, a dance Queen and a multi-billion dollar Actor walk into the Kennedy Center Opera House….”
This year’s affair comes at a time of much upheaval at the Kennedy Center. In February, the Trump administration removed 18 members from the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees — all of whom had been previously appointed by President Joe Biden — as well as the center’s longstanding president, Deborah F. Rutter. Trump appointees, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Vice President JD Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, now make up the board.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty
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Trump then installed himself as chairman, and introduced a resolution to give himself more oversight into program selection, and appointed a loyalist, Richard Grenell, to the role of director. The moves led to a mass resignation of appointees and advisors, including Shonda Rhimes and Fleming.
Issa Rae also canceled her sold-out one-woman show, citing an “infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds.” Several productions, including Hamilton, have also canceled their planned stints at the historic venue.
Both the president and the vice president were also booed when they attended events at the center earlier this year.
