The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors just delivered one of the most surprising — and politically charged — lineups in the program’s history, pairing rock legends and disco royalty with a Hollywood action icon and a Broadway great, all under the eye of a sitting U.S. president.
On Sunday, December 7, the Kennedy Center rolled out its signature rainbow medallions in Washington, D.C., honoring Michael Crawford, Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, Gloria Gaynor, and KISS for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.
The gala will air on CBS on Tuesday, December 23, giving TV audiences a curated look at what insiders describe as a loud, emotional, and at times politically fraught evening.
A Wildly Eclectic Class of Honorees
This year’s roster looks like it was assembled in a blender — Broadway, country, disco, arena rock, and Hollywood all in one night.
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Michael Crawford – The Tony-winning British performer best known for originating the title role in
The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, honored for his decades-long impact on musical theater.
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Sylvester Stallone – The actor, writer, and director behind
Rocky and
Rambo, recognized for his enduring influence on American film and pop culture; he also has stage cred via the Broadway musical adaptation of
Rocky.
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George Strait – Country music icon and hitmaker, celebrated for helping define modern country over multiple decades.
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Gloria Gaynor – The voice of “I Will Survive,” honored for her crossover impact in disco, pop, and gospel music.
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KISS – The face-painted rock band famed for pyrotechnic stadium shows and merchandising, recognized as cultural provocateurs turned institutions of American rock.
It’s a lineup that leans heavily into public recognition and pop culture impact, more than critical-darling prestige — and that feels intentional.
Trump in the Box: A Presidential Twist
Adding to the night’s drama, the ceremony was
hosted by Kennedy Center Chairman and U.S. President Donald Trump, who presided from the presidential box alongside First Lady Melania Trump.
The president’s presence at the Honors has historically been symbolic — a nod to the arts as a national priority. Under Trump, that symbolism becomes more charged. Some of the honorees, notably KISS and Stallone, have maintained fan bases that overlap with Trump’s political support, while others, like segments of the Broadway community, have been more openly critical of his politics.
The choice of such a mass-appeal, largely non-political slate of honorees reads as an attempt to thread the needle: big names, big ratings, minimal direct confrontation.
Inside the Room: Phantom, Fireworks, and Tributes
Michael Crawford’s Broadway Homecoming
For Broadway fans, the emotional center of the night was
Michael Crawford.
BroadwayWorld reports that
Laura Osnes attended and appeared to confirm on social media that she performed music from
The Phantom of the Opera as part of the tribute, giving the evening a bona fide Broadway showcase.
Actor
Kelsey Grammer also took the stage to pay tribute to Crawford, underscoring how deeply
Phantom and Crawford’s performance are woven into theatrical history.
Gloria Gaynor and the Gospel of Survival
Gloria Gaynor’s segment leaned into her dual identity as a disco icon and gospel singer.
Her signature song “I Will Survive” has long transcended its 1970s roots to become an anthem of resilience, embraced by LGBTQ+ communities, women’s movements, and anyone who’s had to rebuild from the ground up. Honoring Gaynor at this moment effectively canonizes that song as an American standard, not just a nostalgic hit.
KISS Takes the Kennedy Center
If there was one honoree that screamed “this is not your parents’ Honors,” it was
KISS.
Photos from the event show classic band members
Peter Criss, Gene Simmons, and Paul Stanley in the house, a surreal sight in the traditionally buttoned-up venue. The idea that a band known for spitting blood, breathing fire, and selling lunchboxes is now part of the official American cultural canon is its own kind of twist.
Rock veterans
Cheap Trick were also in attendance, adding to the classic-rock-heavy energy of the night.
A Country Crown for George Strait
For country fans,
George Strait’s recognition is almost overdue. He’s long been “the King of Country,” and his inclusion brings Nashville’s mainstream, decades-deep tradition squarely into the Kennedy Center spotlight.
Though full setlists haven’t been publicly detailed yet, previews from CBS and coverage suggest performances and appearances from
Miranda Lambert,
Debbie Winans, and
Kurt Russell, offering a cross-genre mix of tributes.
A Hollywood Underdog Turned Institution
Sylvester Stallone is perhaps the most classically “American dream” story among the honorees.
He famously wrote
Rocky while struggling financially, then insisted on starring in it — a gamble that launched one of Hollywood’s most enduring franchises. Beyond the boxing ring, Stallone’s persona as blue-collar underdog and action hero has been both celebrated and satirized, but it’s no longer possible to deny his imprint on global film culture.
That the Kennedy Center is honoring him now, while he’s still active and visible, acknowledges a shift: action cinema and populist storytelling are fully part of the “serious” cultural conversation.
Culture War Backdrop: What This Honors Class Signals
On the surface, the 2025 Honors look like a fun, broad-appeal mix designed for ratings. Underneath, it’s a snapshot of where American culture is right now:
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Pop over highbrow: This year’s honorees skew heavily toward names your parents know and your kids recognize from playlists and memes.
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Cross-generational nostalgia: Phantom, KISS, “I Will Survive,” Strait’s country canon, and
Rocky all fuel different forms of nostalgia, cutting across age groups.
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A safer political lane: Compared to years when honorees directly or indirectly clashed with administrations, this lineup is relatively low-risk politically — even if the optics of Trump in the presidential box are anything but neutral.
In other words, the Kennedy Center Honors are leaning into their role as a unifier — not by avoiding controversy entirely, but by embracing artists whose influence is so widespread it overwhelms partisan lines.
What to Watch for in the Broadcast
When the show airs on
December 23 on CBS, expect:
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Heavily edited tributes that spotlight emotional beats and standout performances.
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A polished segment for each honoree, likely anchored by short documentary packages and star-studded musical numbers.
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Careful framing of the presidential role, with cameras balancing tradition (the presidential box shots) and the need to keep focus on the artists.
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Social media reaction zeroing in on KISS at the Kennedy Center, Gaynor’s segment, and any notable moments between artists and the president.
The Honors have always been about more than just a night of performances. They’re a yearly statement about who America chooses to place in its cultural hall of fame. In 2025, that statement is loud, melodic, and wearing face paint.
Sources
1. Photos: Laura Osnes, Michael Crawford & More at the ...
