President Trump Announces 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees

This morning, President Donald Trump took to the podium at the Kennedy Center to announce this year’s honorees.

They are country music star George Strait, Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone (Rocky), disco diva Gloria Gaynor, rock band Kiss, and Broadway star Michael Crawford, who originated the role of the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, one of the president’s favorite musicals.

The President also announced that he will begrudgingly host this year’s honors. “I’m the president of the United States—are you fools asking me to host?,” he told the board, according to his own account. But he was convinced by his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who is also a newly appointed Kennedy Center trustee.

Shortly after taking office for his second term, President Trump conducted a purge of the Kennedy Center board, installing his own crop of trustees who promptly elected him chair. The change in administration immediately resulted in a programming shake-up.

Since 1978, the Kennedy Center has honored individuals who have made lifetime contributions to the performing arts in America. This year’s honors will be broadcast live on CBS in December.