The Kennedy Center Honors will continue during a two-year renovation under a new name: “The Trump Kennedy Center Honors.”
One of D.C.’s most well-known arts traditions is moving forward with a new name.
Kennedy Center Interim President Richard Grenell told WTOP that the annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony will be called “The Trump Kennedy Center Honors.”
Dancer and actor Fred Astaire, opera singer Marian Anderson, pianist Richard Rodgers, composer Arthur Rubinstein and choreographer George Balanchine were the inaugural class of Kennedy Center Honorees in 1978. Their careers were celebrated on a windy, wet day in December.
Donald Trump is the only president who did not attend the honors during his first term in office.
Federal law prohibits renaming the building or adding additional memorials without an act of Congress. But the board approved the placement of the president’s name above Kennedy’s name on the exterior of the building.
While changes were made to the honors last year, Grenell said even more are coming in 2026, such as the start of a two-year $257 million renovation to the facility.
But Grenell said the honors will not be canceled during the center’s closure.
“It will definitely go forward,” he said. “It will probably just be in a smaller venue, which just means ticket demand will be even higher. This year’s honors, we raised more money and had more ticket demand than ever before.”
While Grenell said the new location is “yet to be determined,” the name of the event is certain: “The Trump Kennedy Center Honors.”
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The official ratings for the 48th Annual Kennedy Center Honors are in, and the Dec. 23 telecast averaged 3.01 million viewers on CBS, according to Nielsen Live + Same Day Panel + Big Data.
That is an all-time low audience for the annual special, down from 4.1M Live+Same Day viewers last year when it aired on a Sunday with a football and 60 Minutes lead-in. This year, the event was broadcast on a Tuesday.
Established in 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors, which recognize “individuals whose unique contributions have shaped our world,” honored Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford, KISS, George Strait, and Gloria Gaynor at the ceremony, which for the first time ever was hosted by a sitting U.S. President in Trump who previously headlined the NBC reality series The Apprentice.
“At the request of the Board, and just about everybody else in America, I am hosting the event,” he wrote on Truth Social last week. “Tell me what you think of my ‘Master of Ceremony’ abilities. If really good, would you like me to leave the Presidency in order to make ‘hosting’ a full time job?”
The Kennedy Center Honors was held amid a series of controversial moves surrounding the center since Trump returned to office in January, including replacing most members of the Board of Trustees appointed by his Democratic predecessors, Trump becoming Chairman and, most recently, the name change of the memorial to The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. They have triggered a string of cancellations by scheduled performances, most recently this week.
The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors will be broadcast tonight, celebrating this year’s class of honorees and their contributions to the performing arts. Viewers can watch the ceremony on CBS and Paramount+ starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
President Trump’s administration has made sweeping changes to the Kennedy Center, including ousting the chairman of its board of trustees and its president, and installing in their place Mr. Trump and one of his allies, former Ambassador Richard Grenell. Last week, the White House announced the board had voted to rename the institution the Trump-Kennedy Center.
This year’s Kennedy Center Honors, which was recorded earlier this month, marks Mr. Trump’s first appearance at the annual event in his two terms in office. He also hosted the celebration, a departure from past years when presidents would sit with the honorees and watch the show.
Who are the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors recipients?
With hits like “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” “Amarillo by Morning” and “Check Yes or No,” George Strait is known as the King of Country Music.
The multiplatinum artist has won dozens of awards from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association, as well as a Grammy for best country album. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
When Strait received a lifetime achievement award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 2021, he said his father taught him the ways of the cowboy life and that he’s tried to hold on to his Western heritage throughout his career. But he also said he was challenged early on to stay true to himself.
George Strait attends the Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic/Getty Images
“When I first signed with MCA Records in 1981, you know, they, all the people, were going, ‘Take the hat off,’” he said, pointing at his trademark 10-gallon cowboy hat with a grin. “Now, can you imagine if I would have done that?”
A producer also floated the idea that Strait change his name. “My dad was so glad I didn’t do that,” Strait said.
Gloria Gaynor, the Queen of Disco
Gloria Gaynor‘s 1978 hit “I Will Survive” has stood the test of time, surviving far longer than disco did and crowning the New Jersey singer as the genre’s queen.
The song won a Grammy for best disco recording. When it was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2016, the library said “I Will Survive” became known as an “emblem of women’s empowerment” and an anthem in the LGBTQ community.
“That song taps into the inherent survival instinct and it taps into the tenacity of the human spirit,” Gaynor told CBS News in 2016.
Gloria Gaynor at the Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 7, 2025.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic/Getty Images
As she recalled recently, when she recorded the hit, she was paralyzed from the waist down while recovering from a serious spinal injury after a fall onstage.
“I had been in hospital for over three months, hoping I’d survive, you know, this trauma that I was going through, hoping that I’d survive the fact that my mother had just passed away a few years prior,” Gaynor said. “Yeah, I was living that song, and I was certain that I wouldn’t be the only one.”
Legendary rock band Kiss
This year’s celebration is a bittersweet moment for the founding members of Kiss. Ace Frehley, the band’s original lead guitarist, died in October, just a few weeks after he, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were named among this year’s honorees.
“The saddest thing of all is that Ace couldn’t live long enough to see this amazing thing,” Simmons told CBS News.
Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Paul Stanley of Kiss attend the Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 7, 2025.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Kiss is known as much for their hits like “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” and “Detroit Rock City” as they are for their signature black-and-white face paint. The group rode the glam rock wave to stardom, selling more than 100 million records worldwide and entering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
Simmons and Stanley’s partnership has lasted for decades, overcoming the difficulties of making it in the music business.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both of us are Jewish and from immigrants who experienced the Holocaust,” Stanley told CBS News. “I think that innately we have inside us compassion for other people but also a sense of survival.”
Tony winner Michael Crawford
Famed composer Andrew Lloyd Webber picked Michael Crawford to play the titular role in the long-running musical “The Phantom of the Opera” when it first opened in London in 1986.
“When he played to me the overture, the hair stood up on the back of my neck,” Crawford told CBS News. “I adored playing and creating it, building him.”
Michael Crawford attends the Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 7, 2025.
Shannon Finney/WireImage/Getty Images
After winning an Olivier Award — the U.K. equivalent of the Tony Award — for musical of the year, the show opened on Broadway in New York in 1988, winning seven Tonys, including best actor in a musical for Crawford.
Crawford’s career has also included roles in movies and on television, but he considered those to be auditions for his next part. For him, playing the Phantom was a gift.
“So, you want to do the eight shows a week,” Crawford said. “You don’t want to miss one.”
American icon Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone wants people to understand one thing about his classic movie “Rocky.”
“Even to this day, I bristle when I hear it’s a sports movie,” Stallone told CBS News. “It’s not. It’s a love story. It starts with love.”
For Stallone, who received Oscar nominations for playing Rocky Balboa and writing the screenplay for what was named 1976’s best picture, the film was about the love between Rocky and Talia Shire’s Adrian.
“This movie will rise and fall on love, not fights,” Stallone said. “Everyone can sort of go, oh my God, it’s the little things in life, it’s the love, it’s the nurturing — that’s the victory.”
Sylvester Stallone attends the Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 7, 2025.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Stallone calls the movie his biography when at the time he felt like he couldn’t win. He went into acting in his 20s after growing up with his father, who Stallone said was emotionally and physically abusive. Movies were a way for Stallone to cope, and he said the mythic heroes he saw on screen changed his life.
“I said, ‘I’m going to be that guy,’” Stallone said. “I don’t want to be what’s at the house, but I do want to be this noble creature.”
New Kennedy Center Honors medallion
The rainbow-colored ribbons adorned with three gold bars that have long been given to honorees were replaced this year with new gold medallions.
Designed by Tiffany and Co., each medallion features an etching of the center on one side with rainbow colors running through it. The other side bears each honoree’s name and when they received the award.
Each medallion hangs from a ribbon that’s navy blue, which the center described as “a color associated with dignity and tradition.”
A graphic shows the new Kennedy Center Honors medallions for George Strait, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor and Sylvester Stallone.
Tiffany and Co.
A graphic shows the new Kennedy Center Honors medallions for Kiss band members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and the late Ace Frehley.
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As we gear up for another edition of this annual ceremony, you may be wondering how to watch the Kennedy Center Honors live for free. This year, stars such as Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick, and Bee Gees’ legendary singer Barry Gibb will be recognized for their impact on American culture. Up ahead, we’re diving into how you can catch all the action—from the award ceremony, to the performances honoring these luminaries—without even breaking the bank.
Originating in 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors is a yearly ceremony honoring individuals in the performing arts and showcasing their lifetime achievements. The grand gala, traditionally held in December at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington D.C., is known for its star-studded attendees. In 2021, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attended the gala, marking the first time since 2016 that a sitting president and first lady attended the event.
While the awards show isn’t broadcast live, an edited version of the event typically airs on CBS around Christmas. The honorees are selected based on recommendations from the general public, former Honorees, and the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees. The Center says the recipients have “each had an impact on the rich tapestry of American life and culture through the performing arts.”
Over the years, artists like Cher, The Eagles, Al Pacino, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Carole King, Tom Hanks, and more have graced the Kennedy Center stage. Now, with Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick, and Barry Gibb taking the spotlight, you might be wondering where and how you can watch the Kennedy Center Honors live for free this year. Read on ahead as we guide you through how to watch the Kennedy Center Honors live for free, so you don’t miss a moment of the tribute to these honorees.
Image: Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images.
When are the Kennedy Center Honors 2023?
The 46th annual Kennedy Center Honors air at 8 p.m. ET on December 27, 2021 on CBS.
How to watch the Kennedy Center Honors live for free
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Best Free Trial Pick to Watch the Kennedy Center Honors: Fubo
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As for the difference between the plans, Pro includes 180 channels, 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR, and the ability to watch on up to 10 screens at once. Elite includes everything in Pro, as well as a total of 256 channels and 4K resolution. Premier includes everything in Pro and Elite, as well as a total of 299 channels, Showtime, and Red Zone NFL Network. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the Kennedy Center Honors with Fubo’s free trial.
As for the differences between the plans, Paramount Plus Essential includes limited ads; tens of thousands of TV shows and movies including the Kennedy Center Honors and Paramount Plus originals; NFL games on the Kennedy Center Honors; UEFA Champions League matches; and 24/7 live access to the Kennedy Center Honors News. Paramount Plus With Showtime includes everything in Essential, as well as no ads; Showtime original shows and movies; 24/7 live access to your local the Kennedy Center Honors network; college football; and the ability to download and watch shows on your mobile device. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the Kennedy Center Honors with Paramount Plus’ free trial.
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Best Upgrade Pick to Watch the Kennedy Center Honors: Hulu+ Live TV
Hulu+ With Live TV is our best upgrade pick to watch the Kennedy Center Honors based on its channel selection and its free subscriptions to Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus. Hulu+ With Live TV offers four plans: a $75.99 per month plan with access to only live TV; a $76.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; a $81.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; and a $89.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with no ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the Kennedy Center Honorswith Hulu+ Live TV.
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Image: Tom Williams/Getty Images.
Who is hosting the Kennedy Center Honors 2023?
Former Kennedy Center Honoree Gloria Estefan is returning as host for the 2023 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, marking her third time hosting the special.
Who are the honorees at the Kennedy Center Honors 2023?
This year’s Kennedy Center honorees are rapper and actress Queen Latifah, singer Dionne Warwick, Bee Gees founder Barry Gibb, actor Billy Crystal, and opera singer Renée Fleming.
Who is performing at the Kennedy Center Honors 2023?
This year’s Kennedy Center Honors promises a stellar lineup of performers paying tribute to the honorees. Here’s a glimpse of the talent set to grace the stage:
Dionne Warwick Tribute:
“Walk On By” – performed by Chloe Bailey.
“Alfie” – performed by Cynthia Erivo.
“Say a Little Prayer” – performed by Gladys Knight.
Queen Latifah Tribute:
Medley by Missy Elliott and Rapsody.
Renée Fleming Tribute:
“The Light in the Piazza” (from the musical of the same name) – performed by Dove Cameron.
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel – performed by Tituss Burgess, Christine Baranski, and the Jubilation Choir.
Barry Gibb Tribute:
“How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?” – performed by Michael Bublé.
“Lonely Days, Lonely Nights” – performed by Little Big Town
“Nights on Broadway” – performed by Ben Platt.
Disco medley of Bee Gees’ greatest hits, including “How Deep Is Your Love” and “Stayin’ Alive” – performed by Ariana DeBose.
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Ahead of the Kennedy Center Honors airing on CBS next week, CBS Mornings co-host Nate Burleson visited with honoree Queen Latifah. She will make history as the first female rapper to be inducted.
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Comedian Billy Crystal has spent half a century in the entertainment world. Renowned as a nine-time Oscars host and for his roles in classics like “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally…” and “Analyze This.” Crystal was selected to be among the 46th annual Kennedy Center Honorees, along with Renée Fleming, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah and Dionne Warwick.
“I’m on Cloud 12. You can see nine from there,” Crystal told “CBS Mornings.”
The event was not just a professional milestone but also a personal one, as he shared the joy of the moment with his family.
“This is what I felt, because looking, I’m wearing the (Kennedy Center Honors) medallion at the dinner. They just put it around your neck. And now, officially being this person, you’re an honoree. And I look out and there’s my two beautiful daughters, Jenny and Lindsay,” said Crystal.
“I always wanted them to know that if I had to be away it was because I was doing what I had to do, and something that made me happy, and that the lesson for your life is whatever you’re doing, be happy in what you’re doing,” said Crystal.
His passion for performing began at home being the youngest of three boys. Crystal said that he learned to improvise at the age of 5 and would often put on shows with his brothers.
“I was just fearless. That’s why this Kennedy thing hit me so hard, because it takes you right back to the beginning. And it’s, how did I get here?” said Crystal.
Starting in the comedy clubs of New York City in the 70s, Crystal’s early career saw a major setback when he was cut from “NBC’s Saturday Night” — now called “Saturday Night Live” — before its premiere.
“It killed me. Because I was part of the like, the whole thing leading up to it,” said Crystal.
However, his persistence and talent eventually led him back to the SNL stage, and this experience, Crystal said, really turned his whole career around.
“It was where I wanted to be nine years before,” said Crystal. “I was lucky, because I was ready. This time I was ready.”
A major breakthrough came with his role in “Soap,” where he portrayed an openly gay character, a groundbreaking move that was unheard of in television at the time.
“I did the show because I thought, if we could make him real and charming and funny and honest, we’d be doing something no one had done before, and it took time to get there and we did,” he said.
He’d appear on “Soap” for four seasons. But it was an encounter with director Rob Reiner that would eventually lead to his big break on the big screen in films like “The Princess Bride” and “When Harry Met Sally…”
Crystal called Reiner the “perfect director” because he let Crystal “invent.”
“He let us play. We added so much stuff as we went on,” said Crystal.
His improvisational skills and chemistry with co-stars like Meg Ryan helped create memorable scenes that continue to resonate with audiences, like the infamous Katz’s Deli scene from “When Harry Met Sally…”
“It’s an amazing phenomenon that this has touched people, and this little piece of history here in New York City — you know, the movie was 1989,” said Crystal.
He said the meaning of “When Harry Met Sally …” makes it one of his most memorable movies to date.
“It’s actually more important as time goes by, because people fall in love everyday. People fall out of love everyday. People find each other, they lose each other every day. And new generations keep finding ‘When Harry Met Sally…’ They keep discovering it, and we’re forever young in that movie. And we represent them. They relate to us,” said Crystal.
The 2023 Kennedy Center Honors were held Sunday, recognizing Billy Crystal, Renee Fleming, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah and Dionne Warwick. CBS will air the honors Wednesday night. “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell takes a look at this year’s highlights.
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The 2023 Kennedy Center Honors were held Sunday, recognizing Billy Crystal, Renee Flemming, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah and Dionne Warwick. CBS will air the honors Wednesday night. “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell takes a look at this year’s highlights.
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Trump White House took QAnon theories seriously, former aide saysThe January 6 committee has released more transcripts, including from interviews of Cassidy Hutchinson — the former aide to Mark Meadows, former President Trump’s chief of staff. She discusses how QAnon theories were taken seriously. In a now viral TikTok video, two friends are seen being harassed at a California In-N-Out Burger. A Denver man, who hurled racist and homophobic slurs, was later charged with a hate crime. And Wednesday night’s Kennedy Center Honors airs on CBS at 8 p.m. EST.
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Tania León’s passion for music has been center stage since her childhood in Cuba. Throughout her career, she composed music and conducted orchestras on the world’s biggest stages. Now, at 79, she is being recognized as one of this year’s Kennedy Center honorees. CBS News lead national correspondent David Begnaud sat down with the pianist to learn more about her musical journey that led to the distinct honor.
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Adam Sandler will receive the 24th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the Kennedy Center said in a statement on Tuesday. The prize recognizes “individuals who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th-century novelist and essayist” Mark Twain, for whom the award is named, the Kennedy Center said.
“Adam Sandler has entertained audiences for over three decades with his films, music, and his tenure as a fan favorite cast member on SNL,” said Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter.
“Adam has created characters that have made us laugh, cry, and cry from laughing,” Rutter added.
Adam Sandler sitting at a desk in a class for children in a scene from the film “Billy Madison,” 1995.
Universal Pictures / Getty Images
The 56-year-old made his film debut in the late 1980s, and he has since appeared in such comedic hits as “Billy Madison,” “Grown Ups” and “Big Daddy,” along with more dramatic turns in films like “Uncut Gems” and “Punch-Drunk Love.” His films have grossed over $3 billion worldwide, according to the Kennedy Center.
On the small screen, Sandler was hired as a writer on “Saturday Night Live” in 1990, and joined the cast the following year. During his five-season run, Sandler would often perform comedic musical numbers, including “The Chanukah Song.” Sandler would return to host the renowned sketch program in 2019.
Adam Sandler and Kevin Nealon during SNL’s ‘Weekend Update’ skit on February 13, 1983.
Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
In addition to his acting roles, Sandler has also found success as a musician, producer, and director.
Previous recipients of the Mark Twain award include Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin, Lorne Michaels, Ellen DeGeneres, and Eddie Murphy, among others. Most recently, the 2022 award was presented to Jon Stewart.
“We are looking forward to celebrating [Sandler’s] career at a ceremony that is sure to bring together the best in comedy and provide all the laughs,” said Rutter.
Sandler will be honored at a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on March 19, 2023.
George, who was one of the honorees, appeared to help his wife dodge a potential red carpet mishap by untangling the cape of her Valentino gown as the two arrived at a gala dinner on Saturday, the night before the Kennedy Center Honors took place.
Photos show Amal, a prominent and accomplished human rights attorney, looking playfully flustered while George comes to her aid.
Once the threat of a wardrobe crisis appeared to have been averted, the ever-stylish couple was back to happily posing for photographers.
A two-time Academy Award winner, George was honored for his artistic achievements. His parents, Nick and Nora, were reportedly among those in attendance at the ceremony.
In a written statement, the actor called the recognition “a genuinely exciting surprise for the whole Clooney family.”
“Growing up in a small town in Kentucky I could never have imagined that someday I’d be the one sitting in the balcony at the Kennedy Center Honors,” he said, per ABC News. “To be mentioned in the same breath with the rest of these incredible artists is an honor.”
Biden first praised all the honorees as “an incredible group of people.”
“And we the people, we see character. We see Amal Clooney’s husband,” the president cracked.
The tease got laughs, including from the actor himself.
Clooney’s wife, Amal, is a prominent and accomplished human rights attorney.
The quip was a “version of one of Biden’s most well-worn gags,” Mediaite noted.
Biden got serious and praised the two-time Oscar winner for his activism on behalf of 9/11 victims’ families and refugees, and his support for survivors of the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school shooting and their work for gun reform.
“That’s character,” Biden said. “That’s George Clooney.”
Other honorees included singer Amy Grant, singer Gladys Knight, composer Tania Leon and the rock band U2.
The ceremony at the Kennedy Center was highlighted by a routine by Sacha Baron Cohen scorching former President Donald Trump and rapper-turned-vocal Hitler appreciator Ye (formerly known as Kanye West). There was also a public appearance by Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who was seriously injured in October by a hammer-wielding home invader.
