On August 13 the White House released the 2025 class of Kennedy Center Honors. This year’s honourees include an actor, a Broadway performer, two singers, and a rock group.
Traditionally the annual awards recipients covered a variety of artists that included dancers, filmmakers, and comedians.
The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors recipients are:
Country music star George Strait
disco queen Gloria Gaynor
Detroit rockers KISS
Broadway star Michael Crawford
and actor Sylvester Stallone
While the criteria for this year’s recipients was not revealed, in the past honourees were selected based on their artistic work, cultural significance, and philanthropic and humanitarian endeavours.
The annual events honouring the KCH recipients includes a gala dinner and tribute performances at the Kennedy Center by some of their admirers and peers. Honourees receive a medallion.
Meet the 2025 Kennedy Center Honourees:
George Strait – a native of Texas, George Harvey Strait broke into the Country music market in 1981 and has since has been named the Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music, is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, a multiple Entertainer of the Year winner from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association, has 53 number one hit singles, and is a Vietnam Veteran.
Gloria Gaynor – The New Jersey native earned her only Grammy Award for the disco anthem “I Will Survive”. In 2017 she was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
KISS – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Detroit rockers have recently hung up their costumes and microphones after 50 years of touring around the world spreading the word to “rock and roll every night and party every day”.
Michael Crawford – The British born performer who began his singing career at 12 years old as a member of the Englis Opera Company. Crawford was cast by Lord Andrew Lloyed Webber as the original Opera Ghost in his musical “Phantom of the Opera”. He is a Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk, and BAFTA Award winner. Crawford holds the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Sylvester Stallone – the New York City native is best known for his role as Rocky Balboa in the “Rocky” film franchise and has gone on to be the only star in Hollywood to have a hit film in five consecutive decades. He holds the record for the most Razzie (Golden Raspberry) Award nominations with 30 and has 10 wins. Won the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory at the Venice Film Festival in 2009.