Overview

• Sylvester Stallone, KISS, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait and Michael Crawford were announced as the 2025 honorees under Trump’s chairmanship.
• Trump will personally host the December Honors gala, marking the first time a president has taken on that role.
• He asserted he was “98%” involved in choosing the recipients and said he rejected numerous nominees for being “too woke.”
• The Kennedy Center credited his advocacy for securing a $257 million renovation and said it was honored to host his announcement.
• Ongoing artist cancellations, pending renaming proposals and the expiration of CBS’s broadcast deal after this ceremony continue to cast uncertainty over the institution’s direction.