Country musician George Strait, action movie star Sylvester “Sly” Stallone, and rock band Kiss will be honored with the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, one of the highest accolades in American performing arts. This was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. English stage actor Michael Crawford and singer Gloria Gaynor (“I Will Survive”) will also be honored at the event later this year.
Trump said he had been asked to host the event, which will be broadcast on CBS in December, and reluctantly agreed. “I didn’t push for it. But I think it will be a great success,” said Trump, who announced a comprehensive renovation of the center. Trump seeks to put his stamp on American culture Since returning to power in January, Trump has been working to leave his mark on American culture and institutions, aligning them more closely with his political and personal preferences.
In February, he dismissed the president of the Kennedy Center and took on the role himself, removing the long-serving president and installing his former ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, as acting president. Republicans recently voted to allocate $257 million to renovate the building as part of a broad tax cut and budget bill, on the condition that the opera house be named after First Lady Melania Trump.
Republican Representative Bob Onder introduced a bill in July to rename the modernist building the “Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts.” Ticket sales decline Trump last visited the Kennedy Center in June for a performance of Les Misérables, where he and his wife were met with both loud cheers and boos. Ticket and subscription sales have declined since Trump took over the venue, and some shows, including the hit Hamilton, have been canceled. Under his leadership, the center has aimed to offer a more conservative-leaning program.
