Donald Trump to host Kennedy Center honors — see the surprising list of this year’s recipients

President Donald Trump is stepping into the spotlight for this year's Kennedy Center Honors, unveiling the 2025 honorees and declaring his role as the host for the esteemed December event. The president, now serving as chairman of the institution, has unveiled an impressive roster featuring music legends, stage icons, and Hollywood royalty.

As chairman of the institution, Trump is reshaping the event with a more personal, showman style, attracting political and media attention ahead of the December broadcast.

Donald Trump apparently broke with tradition this year by announcing the winners in person at an event at the Kennedy Center. He revealed their portraits by pulling red cloths off of them in a showman-like way, as quoted in a report by Deadline.

Why is Donald Trump in charge of the ceremony?

Traditionally, the Kennedy Center and CBS have sent out a press release to a few select outlets to announce the winners. Trump is making the ceremony a bigger media event by announcing it himself. Major cable news networks have already picked up on the unveiling, which suggests that his approach could get more people to watch a show that hasn't had a lot of viewers in the past.

Donald Trump's choice to host is a big change from his first term, when he skipped the ceremony altogether. He seems determined to make his mark on the school this year, even though he has called it "woke" in the past. After getting rid of board members from the Biden era, he became chairman. This made him the first president to hold the position while in office.


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Who is on the list of honorees for 2025?

George Strait, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, Kiss, and Sylvester Stallone are some of the famous people who will be honored in 2025, as per a report by Deadline.

The artists chosen come from a variety of genres and decades, from George Strait's country classics that tell stories to Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," which defined disco. Kiss brings arena rock style, Michael Crawford is a symbol of classic musical theater, and Sylvester Stallone is a symbol of Hollywood blockbuster success. The selection leans toward people who have mostly stayed out of political controversy, which is a big difference from some past winners.


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Will politics matter this year?

The Kennedy Center Honors has always been a nonpartisan event, but Trump suggested that politics might get involved this year. He made fun of Democrats while also saying that "our kind of political" could actually boost viewership, as per a report by Deadline.

He is also involved in a big renovation of the Kennedy Center, which is getting $257 million in funding from the GOP-controlled Congress through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Critics say that even though Trump has tried to cut funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, he has put more money into the Kennedy Center itself.

FAQs

Who are the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees?
The 2025 Kennedy Center honorees include George Strait, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, Kiss, and Sylvester Stallone.

Why is Donald Trump organizing the event this year?
As chairman, Donald Trump is taking a more active role in generating attention and reshaping the tradition.