Tom Cruise Turns Down Kennedy Center Honor Offered by Trump

Tom Cruise turned down an invitation from Trump to be one of the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees. The news comes from The Washington Post.

According to the report, Cruise declined the honor because of “scheduling conflicts.” No further details were given, but sources say the actor was unavailable for the ceremony.

Instead, Trump revealed the list of honorees on Wednesday. The 48th Kennedy Center Honors will recognize a mix of stars from music, theater, and film. Among those included are the glam metal band Kiss, Broadway star Michael Crawford, country music legend George Strait, and singer Gloria Gaynor.

In the film actor category, Sylvester Stallone will be honored. Stallone had also previously appeared on Trump’s list of “special ambassadors” to Hollywood, alongside Mel Gibson and Jon Voight.

Trump also announced that he will personally host the awards ceremony. Speaking about the honors, he said, “I always wanted a Kennedy Center award but was never able to get one … I said, ‘The hell with it, I’ll become chairman and I’ll give myself an honor.’ Next year, we’ll honor Trump, OK?”

The president has previously taken over the Kennedy Center as chairman. In a related move, House Republicans are pushing to rename its opera house after First Lady Melania Trump. It is unclear if this plan will pass a full vote in Congress.

The announcement comes shortly after Trump said he was forming a special task force to oversee the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, with himself appointed chairman of the group.

The Kennedy Center Honors ceremony is scheduled for December 7 and will air on CBS.

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