Kennedy Center Honors To Be Hosted by President Trump
By • August 13, 2025 0 863
By Maren Fagen
Five honorees will receive the 48th Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievement, announced by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Aug. 13. While it may seem like another typical Honors ceremony, there will be one big change: President Donald Trump will be the host. Usually a celebrity hosts (in the past, names like Gloria Estefan and LL Cool J have done the job) and occasionally there have been no formal host.
The gala to honor the recipients—set for Dec. 7— is the first following President Donald Trump’s overhaul of the Kennedy Center, making himself chairman earlier this year.
This year’s recipients include George Strait, KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor and Sylvester Stallone. The lifetime artistic achievement recognition acknowledges contributions to American culture through the performing arts.
“For nearly half a century, this tradition has celebrated those whose voices and visions tell our nation’s story and share it with the world,” Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center President, said in a press release. “This year’s Honorees have left an indelible mark on our history, reminding us that the arts are for everyone.”
Strait, known as the “King of Country,” is best known for his hits that include “If You’re Thinking You Want A Stranger (There’s One Coming Home),” “Fool Hearted Memory” and “Amarillo By Morning.” He is the only artist to have a Billboard top 10 hit every decade for three consecutive decades in history, and Strait has won more than 60 awards from assorted entertainment industry awards.
Iconic rock group KISS, with members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and is best known for songs “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” and “Rock and Roll All Nite.” KISS is one of the most successful groups of all time, having created 30 Gold Albums.
English actor and comedian Crawford has a career spanning television, film and theatre on Broadway and London’s West End. Crawford originated the role of Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera,” earning him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.
The two-time Grammy Award winner Gaynor’s career has spanned 50 years, with each decade seeing a hit song in the charts, including “I Will Survive” and “The Eye of the Tiger.” Beyond music production, Gaynor performed on film, television and Broadway.
Oscar-nominated actor Stallone is best known for portraying the titular characters Rocky and John Rambo in the 1976 boxing film “Rocky” and the 1982 film that began the “Rambo” franchise, respectively. Beyond an Academy Award nomination, Stallone has won a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award.
Last year, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, rock band Grateful Dead, blues singer Bonnie Raitt, composer Arturo Sandoval and the Apollo Theater all received lifetime artistic achievement honors. Former hosts of the ceremony have also included Gloria Estefan, David Letterman, Stephen Colbert and Caroline Kennedy.
The 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors is set to air on the CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+.
