Honoring the icons: Kennedy Center’s class of 2025 revealed

President Donald Trump, serving as chairman of the Kennedy Center, announced this year’s Kennedy Center Honors recipients on Wednesday morning. The nominees are British actor Michael Crawford, disco legend Gloria Gaynor, rock band KISS, action-film star Sylvester Stallone, and country music icon George Strait. The honorees will be celebrated in a special ceremony in December that will be televised on CBS television, hosted by President Trump.

 The 2025 Honorees

Michael Crawford is celebrated for his unforgettable performance as the Phantom in “The Phantom of the Opera,” which earned him international acclaim and a Tony Award. He is a West End and Broadway legend whose career spans decades of stage and screen. "I think he's one of the greatest talents I've ever seen," Trump said in a report published by CBS News.

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Gloria Gaynor, nicknamed “The Disco Queen,” is best known for her 1978 anthem “I Will Survive.” During the announcement ceremony, Trump said he has listened to Gaynor’s song "thousands of times. It's one of those few that get better every time you hear it.” Gaynor’s music has become a lasting symbol of resilience and empowerment.

KISS, founded in 1973 in New York City by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss, rose to fame in the ’70s with their trademark face paint and over-the-top shows packed with pyrotechnics and fire-breathing stunts. The president praised the group as “one of the greatest rock bands of all time.” The group has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.

Sylvester Stallone, the creative force behind “Rocky” and “Rambo,” is one of Hollywood’s most enduring stars and one of the actors Trump has named as “special ambassador” to Hollywood. CBS News reports that Trump praised Stallone as “a friend of mine” and “a real talent who has never been given credit for his talent.”

George Strait, nicknamed the “King of Country,” has cemented his place in music history with his traditional style and record-breaking string of hits.

About the awards

Honorees receive a rainbow-colored ribbon medallion representing the breadth of the performing arts. In April, the building’s exterior lighting, long set in rainbow hues, was permanently changed to red, white, and blue.

Since the creation of the honors in 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have stood as a bipartisan celebration of the arts, with presidents from both parties traditionally in attendance. While Trump chose not to participate during part of his first term, his return to the White House has brought a renewed, and highly personal, level of involvement. As chairman, he has reshaped the board, taken a direct hand in programming, and announced a series of beautification projects aimed at refreshing the center’s public spaces and preserving its status as a world-class arts venue.

The Kennedy Center Honors remain one of the nation’s most prestigious cultural awards, recognizing artists whose work transcends entertainment to help shape American identity. The celebration will showcase the remarkable achievements of the honorees and highlight the enduring power of the arts to inspire and unite.