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KISS To Receive Kennedy Center Honors Under Trump’s First Gala as Chairman

by | Aug 13, 2025 | News

Hell just froze over — KISS are about to swap pyrotechnics for presidential pomp as they receive the Kennedy Center Honors this December. The face-painted rock ‘n’ roll titans will be honored under the watchful eye (and hairspray) of Donald Trump, marking his first run as chairman of the board for the nation’s swankiest arts bash. And because subtlety isn’t his style, Trump is also hosting and producing the whole damn thing.

Rounding out the honoree list: country juggernaut George Strait, “Rocky” and Rambo legend Sylvester Stallone, disco royalty Gloria Gaynor, and Broadway/film veteran Michael Crawford. Trump praised the lineup at a press conference, calling them “an outstanding group — incredible,” while the Kennedy Center hyped it up on X with the kind of tease you’d expect from an open mic night: “A country music icon, an Englishman, a New York City Rock band, a dance Queen and a multi-billion dollar Actor walk into the Kennedy Center Opera House…”

The Kennedy Center Honors usually keep things buttoned-up in D.C. every December, airing nationwide on CBS. But after Trump booted the old leadership and filled the board with his loyalists, this year’s event could be less tuxedos-and-caviar and more fireworks-and-confetti cannons.

Written By Joshua Toomey

By Alex Stone, Senior Metal Journalist

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