Tom Cruise isn’t on the list of this year’s Kennedy Center honorees, but he was reportedly invited to be one.
According to The Washington Post, several current and former Kennedy Center employees reported that Cruise, 63, was invited to be among the first group of Kennedy Center honorees during President Donald Trump’s second term, but the Mission Impossible star declined due to “scheduling conflicts.”
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Tom Cruise
A spokesman for Cruise declined to comment to the Post. Entertainment Weekly also reached out to Cruise’s rep for further comment.
On Wednesday, Trump revealed the star-studded lineup of honorees being recognized for their artistic and cultural influence, which includes rock band Kiss, singer Gloria Gaynor, country music titanGeorge Strait, English actor and comedian Michael Crawford, and Rocky star Sylvester Stallone.
Along with the nominee reveal, Trump announced that he’ll host the awards program this year — which he said he hadn’t wanted to do but had been invited to do so and agreed. He added that he plans to “fully renovate” the entire infrastructure of the Kennedy Center to make it a “crown jewel” of arts and culture in the United States.
“We’re going to bring it to a higher level than it ever hit,” Trump added, claiming the venue would be featured in next year’s celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary.
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U.S. President Donald Trump
This year’s affair comes at a time of much upheaval at the Kennedy Center. In February, the Trump administration removed 18 members from the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees — all of whom had been previously appointed by President Joe Biden — as well as the center’s longstanding president, Deborah F. Rutter. Trump appointees, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Vice President JD Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, now make up the board.
Trump then installed himself as chairman, introduced a resolution to give himself more oversight into program selection, and appointed a loyalist, Richard Grenell, to the role of director. The moves led to a mass resignation of appointees and advisors, including Shonda Rhimes and Renée Fleming.
Despite the tumultuous events leading up to Wednesday’s announcement, this year’s honorees are still “deeply honored” by the distinction.
The members of Kiss shared their gratitude for the honor while speaking with TMZ on Thursday.  “From our earliest days, Kiss has embodied the American ideal that all things are possible and that hard work pays off,” Paul Stanley told the outlet. “The prestige of the Kennedy Center Honors cannot be overstated and I accept this on behalf of the long legacy of Kiss and all of the band members who helped create our iconic band.”
The other members of the legendary band — Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss — shared similar sentiments with the outlet. Simmons said, “Kiss is the embodiment of the American dream. We are deeply honored to receive the Kennedy Center Honor.”
TMZ noted that Frehley referred to himself as a “Trump supporter in 2020.” The other members of Kiss, however, have been more critical of Trump.
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Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Gene Simmons of Kiss
In Aug. 2020, Stanley called Trump’s claims about the 2020 election being rigged if he lost “abhorrent.” He also slammed Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol Riots in 2021.
Calling those who partook in the riots “terrorists” who participated in “armed insurrection,” Stanley added on X, “The flames were fanned today & over time by the president & specific senators who CANNOT be allowed now to distance from or denounce what they have directly caused. Know their names. THIS is the result of their deception. Shame.”
In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, Simmons said Trump was “good for the political system” but he nonetheless “has said some very vile, unkind things.”
Simmons, who was a contestant on Trump’s NBC show The Celebrity Apprentice in 2008, admitted on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast in November 2022 that he initially was “happy” that the man he knew was elected in 2016, but he quickly changed his tune.
“Look what that gentleman did to this country and the polarization — got all the cockroaches to rise to the top,” Simmons said. “Once upon a time, you were embarrassed to be publicly racist and out there with conspiracy theories. Now it’s all out in the open because he allowed it.”
He continued, “I don’t think he’s a Republican or a Democrat. He’s out for himself, any way you can get there. And in the last election, over 70 million people bought it hook, line and sinker.”
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Awarded at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, the Kennedy Center Honors recognize the lifetime achievements of artists who have made profound contributions to the cultural life in America. Past honorees include Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Crystal, Quincy Jones, Rita Moreno, Herbie Hancock, Dick Van Dyke, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, Renée Fleming, and Francis Ford Coppola.
The Kennedy Center Honor ceremony will take place on Dec. 7 and will later air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
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