Tom Cruise: Korb for Donald Trump at Kennedy Prize?

Since 1978, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has honored five artists from film, television and music for their life’s work every year. Tom Cruise (63) should also be among this year’s award winners of the Kennedy Prize. But the Hollywood star is said to have canceled. As an official reason, appointment problems were mentioned. Insiders from the Kennedy Center of the “Washington Post” are said to have said this.

This year’s Kennedy Center Honors, according to the original American title of the Kennedy Prize, are the first in which Donald Trump (79) personally selected the excellent. In February 2025, the US President disempowered the independent committee, which was previously responsible for the selection. Trump dismissed 18 board members, whom his predecessor Joe Biden (82) had appointed.

Donald Trump will moderate the awarding of the Kennedy Prize in December 2025 – as the first president. During his first term, Trump had boycotted the annual events. The award winners were always too “Woke”.

As Donald Trump told Washington Post, he did “98 percent” at this year’s selection process. So Sylvester Stallone (79) gets the Kennedy Prize 2025. Trump had appointed the action star in January this year as one of his ambassadors for Hollywood.

The other Honorees are: George Strait (73), a representative of conservative neo-traditionalism within country music. Disco legend Gloria Gaynor (81), whose song “I will survive” ran at Trump’s campaign events. In addition, the British musical actor Michael Crawford (83) and the band Kiss. Even though members of the group are public.