Donald Trump Says He’s Hosting Kennedy Center Honors Recognizing Gloria Gaynor, KISS & Others
On December 7, 2023, the Kennedy Center Honors will celebrate a star-studded lineup of cultural icons, including Sylvester Stallone, KISS, George Strait, and Gloria Gaynor. This year’s ceremony is particularly notable as it will be hosted by President Donald Trump, marking the first time a sitting president will take the stage rather than observe from the traditional Opera House box. This shift reflects Trump’s ongoing engagement with the arts community, which he has critiqued for perceived “woke” tendencies since returning to office in January. Trump has expressed confidence that the broadcast, set to air on December 23 on CBS and Paramount+, will achieve record ratings, suggesting a significant departure from the past when presidents typically remained in the background during such events.
The Kennedy Center Honors, established in 1978, recognize individuals for their profound influence on American culture through the arts. This year’s honorees include Stallone, celebrated for his iconic roles in “Rocky” and “Rambo,” and Gaynor, who is renowned for her empowering anthem “I Will Survive.” KISS, known for their theatrical performances and flamboyant personas, will also be honored, though the ceremony is bittersweet as it comes shortly after the passing of original guitarist Ace Frehley. Gene Simmons, KISS co-founder, confirmed that an empty chair will be reserved in Frehley’s memory during the ceremony, underscoring the emotional weight of the occasion. George Strait, a country music legend, and Tony Award-winning actor Michael Crawford round out this year’s distinguished group.
The political landscape surrounding the Kennedy Center Honors has evolved significantly, especially during Trump’s presidency. Historically, the event has seen presidents from both sides of the aisle interacting with artists who hold diverse political views. However, Trump’s tenure has been marked by a more contentious relationship with the arts community, as many honorees have openly criticized him. Notably, during his first term, several prominent figures, including producer Norman Lear, threatened to boycott the honors if Trump attended. This year, while some honorees have maintained a low political profile, the complexities of their relationships with Trump add a layer of intrigue to the festivities. As the ceremony approaches, it remains to be seen how this blend of culture and politics will unfold on stage, making it an event that promises both celebration and controversy.
Sylvester Stallone,
KISS
,
George Strait
and
Gloria Gaynor
are among the luminaries being celebrated Sunday (Dec. 7) at the annual Kennedy Center Honors, with Donald Trump hosting the show, the first time a president will command the stage instead of sitting in an Opera House box.
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Since returning to office in January, Trump has made Washington, D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which is named after a Democratic predecessor, a touchstone in a broader attack against what he has lambasted as “woke” anti-American culture.
Trump said in August that he had agreed to host the show. The Republican president said Saturday at a State Department dinner for the honorees that he was doing so “at the request of a certain television network.” He predicted that the broadcast, scheduled to air Dec. 23 on CBS and Paramount+, would have its best ratings ever.
“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” on Sunday night, Trump said.
Trump is assuming a role that has been held in the past by journalist Walter Cronkite and comedian and Trump nemesis Stephen Colbert, among others. Before Trump, presidents watched the show alongside the honorees. Trump skipped the honors altogether during his first term.
Since 1978, the honors have recognized stars for their influence on American culture and the arts. Members of this year’s class are pop-culture standouts, including Stallone for his
Rocky
and
Rambo
movies, Gaynor for her feminist anthem “I Will Survive” and KISS for its flashy, cartoonish makeup and onstage displays of smoke and fire. Country music superstar George Strait and Tony Award-winning actor Michael Crawford are also being honored.
The ceremony is expected to be emotional for the members of KISS. The band’s original lead guitarist, Ace Frehley, died in October after he was injured during a fall. The band’s co-founder Gene Simmons, speaking on the red carpet when he and the other honorees arrived for the ceremony, said the president had assured him there would be an empty chair among the members of KISS in memory of Frehley.
Crawford called it “a beautiful honor” and said, “It’s humbling, especially at the end of a career.”
Mike Farris, an award-winning gospel singer who is performing for Gaynor, said she is a dear friend. “She truly did survive,” Farris said on the red carpet. “What an iconic song.”
Previous honorees have come from a broad range of art forms, whether dance (Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham), theater (Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber), movies (Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks) or music (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell).
Trump has taken over the Kennedy Center
Trump upended decades of bipartisan support for the center by ousting its leadership and stacking the board of trustees with Republican supporters, who then elected him chair. He has criticized the center’s programming and the building’s appearance — and has said, perhaps jokingly, that he would rename it as the “Trump Kennedy Center.” He secured more than $250 million from Congress for renovations of the building.
Presidents of each political party have at times found themselves face to face with artists of opposing political views. Republican Ronald Reagan was there for honoree Arthur Miller, a playwright who championed liberal causes. Democrat Bill Clinton, who had signed an assault weapons ban into law, marked the honors for Charlton Heston, an actor and gun rights advocate.
During Trump’s first term, multiple honorees were openly critical of the president. In 2017, Trump’s first year in office, honors recipient and film producer Norman Lear threatened to boycott his own ceremony if Trump attended. Trump stayed away during that entire term.
Trump has said he was deeply involved in choosing the 2025 honorees and turned down some recommendations because they were “too woke.” While Stallone is one of Trump’s Hollywood ”special ambassadors” and has likened Trump to George Washington, the political views of Sunday’s other guests are less clear.
Honorees’ views about Trump
Strait and Gaynor have said little about their politics, although Federal Election Commission records show that Gaynor has given money to Republican organizations in recent years.
KISS co-founder Gene Simmons spoke favorably of Trump when Trump ran for president in 2016. But in 2022, Simmons told
Spin
magazine that Trump was “out for himself” and criticized Trump for encouraging conspiracy theories and public expressions of racism.
Fellow KISS member Paul Stanley denounced Trump’s effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden, and said Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 were “terrorists.” But after Trump won in 2024, Stanley urged unity.
“If your candidate lost, it’s time to learn from it, accept it and try to understand why,” Stanley wrote on X. “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.”
