Updated Dec. 8, 2025 — President Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday after presenting the 2025 recipients with medals in the Oval Office on Saturday, praising the group as legendary and among the greatest performers of their generations. The televised gala is set to air Dec. 23 on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
This year’s honorees were actor Sylvester Stallone; singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait; the rock band Kiss; and actor-singer Michael Crawford. Trump, who became the first president to take the stage rather than remain in an audience box, described the recipients as hugely influential and said he had been deeply involved in selecting the class.
At the White House medal presentation, the president said persistence unites the honorees, noting how they overcame setbacks and continued advancing their careers. He also said he did not prepare extensively for hosting, citing a desire to be himself and comparing his approach to classic TV hosts. Trump predicted the broadcast would draw record ratings and said he agreed to host at the request of a television network.
Cabinet members and Kennedy Center trustees attended the events. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, arriving with his wife, a Kennedy Center board member, expressed enthusiasm about the president hosting.
The program was expected to carry emotional significance for Kiss after the October death of original lead guitarist Ace Frehley; organizers planned an empty chair to honor him. On the red carpet, band members said Trump had assured them the tribute would be included.
Honorees reacted with humility and gratitude. Stallone called the recognition overwhelming and said it felt like being in the eye of a hurricane; Crawford described the honor as humbling late in a long career. Gaynor called the award a pinnacle and noted the personal meaning of her signature song. Performers and presenters, including actor Neil McDonough who presented Stallone’s medal, praised the artists’ contributions to film, theater and music.
The Kennedy Center Honors, established in 1978, recognize artists whose work has had a lasting influence on American culture. Past recipients have represented a broad range of disciplines, from dance and theater to film and popular music.
Trump’s visible role in the 2025 events underscored a larger, sometimes contentious relationship with the Kennedy Center. During his tenure he removed the institution’s leadership, appointed a board packed with political allies who elected him chair, criticized programming and the building’s appearance, joked about renaming the venue, and secured more than $250 million in congressional funds for renovations. His involvement has prompted debate about the intersection of politics and cultural recognition; some artists previously resisted presidential participation, and in his first term several honorees publicly criticized him while others threatened boycotts.
Trump said he rejected some potential honorees as too politically driven, and several of the 2025 recipients have varied histories with public political positions. Stallone has served as one of Trump’s Hollywood liaisons and has expressed admiration for the president; George Strait and Gloria Gaynor have largely stayed private about politics, though records show some political donations. Kiss members have held differing views over time, with some criticizing the president’s post-2020 actions while later urging unity after the 2024 election.
The 2025 class highlights the Kennedy Center’s continued practice of honoring diverse artistic achievements even as the role of the presidency and partisan tensions intersect with cultural events. The televised ceremony will mark a rare occasion in which a sitting president serves as the evening’s host, drawing public attention both to the artists and to the evolving relationship between national politics and the cultural institutions that celebrate artistic achievement.