Donald Trump will host the Kennedy Center Honors for the first time in history, turning the annual celebration of American culture into a presidential stage.
The event, scheduled to air Dec. 23 on CBS and Paramount+, will feature iconic performers such as Sylvester Stallone, the rock band Kiss, and Gloria Gaynor.
Trump agreed to host in August and, at a State Department dinner for the honorees, said he was doing so at the request of a certain television network.
He added that the broadcast would set new ratings records, saying, “It’s going to be something that I believe, and I’m going to make a prediction: This will be the highest-rated show that they’ve ever done and they’ve gotten some pretty good ratings, but there’s nothing like what’s going to happen.”
The role of host has traditionally been filled by journalists like Walter Cronkite or comedians such as Stephen Colbert; presidents have usually watched from a box in the Opera House.
Trump skipped the honors during his first term, a decision that left some artists openly critical of him in 2017 when producer Norman Lear threatened to boycott the ceremony.
Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have celebrated artists who have shaped American culture across dance, theater, film and music.
This year’s class includes Stallone for his “Rocky” and “Rambo” films, Gaynor for her feminist anthem “I Will Survive,” and Kiss for their flashy makeup and onstage displays of smoke and fire.
Country singer George Strait and Tony Award‑winning actor Michael Crawford also join the roster of honorees.
The ceremony is expected to be emotional for Kiss, whose original lead guitarist Ace Frehley died in October after a fall that injured him.
Previous recipients have ranged from Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham in dance to Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber in theater, and from Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in film to Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell in music.
Trump has reshaped the Kennedy Center, ousting its former leadership, appointing Republican supporters to the board of trustees, and being elected chair.
He has criticized the center’s programming and building appearance, joking that he might rename it the “Trump Kennedy Center,” and secured more than $250 million from Congress for renovations.
Presidents of both parties have historically faced artists with opposing political views; Ronald Reagan met playwright Arthur Miller, while Bill Clinton met gun‑rights advocate Charlton Heston.
In 2017, Norman Lear warned he would boycott the ceremony if Trump attended, and Trump stayed away for the entire term.
Trump has said he was deeply involved in choosing the 2025 honorees and turned down some recommendations because they were “too woke.”
Stallone, one of Trump’s Hollywood “special ambassadors,” has likened the former president to George Washington, though the political views of other honorees are less clear.
Strait and Gaynor have said little about their politics; however, Federal Election Commission records show Gaynor has donated to Republican organizations in recent years.
Kiss co‑founder Gene Simmons spoke favorably of Trump when he ran in 2016, but in 2022 told Spin magazine that Trump was “out for himself” and criticized him for encouraging conspiracy theories and racism.
Fellow Kiss member Paul Stanley denounced Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election, calling Jan. 6 supporters “terrorists,” but after Trump’s 2024 victory urged unity.
Stanley wrote on X, “If your candidate lost, it’s time to learn from it, accept it and try to understand why,” adding, “If your candidate won, it’s time to understand that those who don’t share your views also believe they are right and love this country as much as you do.”
The ceremony, reported from New York by Italie, will showcase the intersection of art and politics in a night that has already sparked discussion about the president’s role in cultural events.
