US President Donald Trump has named Rocky star Sylvester Stallone and the country music singer George Strait among the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors as he pursues a controversial overhaul of the storied arts institution in Washington, DC.
Disco star Gloria Gaynor, the rock band KISS, and the British actor Michael Crawford, known in the US for his indelible turn in the lead role of the Broadway staple The Phantom of the Opera, will also receive Kennedy Center Honors, one of the United States' highest arts awards.
President Trump announced he would host the gala ceremony, which usually takes place in early December and is later broadcast on CBS.
"I did not insist, but I think it will be quite successful," he told reporters at the stately white marble complex overlooking the Potomac River.
He also joked that he wanted an honour himself but was "never able to get one".
Stallone, who at 79 is the same age as President Trump, is a three-time Oscar nominee: for Best Actor and Screenplay for the 1976 classic boxing film Rocky, and for Best Supporting Actor, again in the Rocky Balboa role, in the 2015 follow-up Creed.
He is also a major Trump supporter and one of the president's "Hollywood ambassadors" along with Jon Voight and Mel Gibson.
Strait, 73, is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, known for hits like All My Exes Live in Texas and Amarillo by Morning.
Gaynor, 81, is the singer behind the disco anthem I Will Survive.
KISS, formed in the 1970s in President Trump's hometown of New York City, gained fame with their shock rock performances and outlandish black-and-white face paint.
Crawford, 83, made his mark on British television in the 1970s in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em before achieving international success by originating the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera, thrilling audiences with his powerful tenor voice.
The Kennedy Center, one of the United States' top performing arts venues, is a living monument to the late John F Kennedy.
Opened in 1971, it has long enjoyed bipartisan support.
But in February, shortly after returning to the Oval Office, President Trump ousted the Kennedy Center's leadership and installed himself as board chairman, vowing to purge any programming he deems objectionable.
"A few short months ago, I became chairman of the Kennedy Center," President Trump said.
"We ended the woke... political programming."
In his first term, from 2017 to 2021, the Republican president skipped the Kennedy Center Honors gala, the biggest fundraiser of the year, because some of the artists receiving awards criticised him or said they would not attend in his presence.
The Kennedy Center is home to the National Symphony Orchestra and also offers theatre, opera, comedy, and other productions.
Many artists associated with the Kennedy Center, including the opera singer Renée Fleming and the singer-songwriter Ben Folds, have cut ties with the institution.
Others, including the comedian Issa Rae, cancelled performances.
The producers of the hit historical musical Hamilton opted to cancel a scheduled 2026 run timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, citing the end of "neutrality" at the Kennedy Center.
Source: AFP
