Tom Cruise, one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, has turned down a Kennedy Center Honor for 2025, declining an invitation from President Donald Trump’s administration. The news, first reported by The Washington Post and echoed across multiple outlets including People and USA Today, has sparked conversations about celebrity, politics, and the evolving landscape of American cultural honors.
According to The Washington Post, Cruise declined the honor due to “scheduling conflicts.” The actor’s spokesperson did not offer further comment, and Cruise himself has remained silent on the matter. While some might speculate about political motivations, the official explanation is straightforward: Cruise’s packed calendar made it “simply impossible” for him to attend the ceremony. The 63-year-old star, known for his roles in Mission: Impossible and Top Gun: Maverick, is set to receive an honorary Oscar at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ Governors Awards on November 16, 2025, adding another accolade to his storied career.
The Kennedy Center Honors, a prestigious annual celebration of the performing arts, will still go forward with a star-studded lineup. Announced by President Trump on August 13, 2025, this year’s honorees include glam metal legends KISS, Broadway icon Michael Crawford, country music superstar George Strait, disco queen Gloria Gaynor, and action movie mainstay Sylvester Stallone. The ceremony, scheduled for December 7, will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
President Trump, now in his second term, has taken a particularly hands-on approach to the Kennedy Center this year. “I would say I was about 98 percent involved. They all went through me,” Trump told reporters, as cited by People. He further remarked, “I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different.” Trump’s comments reflect both his personal influence over the selection process and his ongoing campaign to reshape the Kennedy Center according to his own vision of American culture.
Trump’s involvement hasn’t stopped at honoree selection. Earlier this year, he named himself chairman of the Kennedy Center, following a sweeping overhaul that included the removal of several board of trustees members, among them former Chairman David Rubenstein. Trump has said he plans to personally host the Honors ceremony, joking during the announcement, “I 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 2025 class of honorees represents a diverse cross-section of American entertainment. KISS frontman Gene Simmons told TMZ (as confirmed by Billboard), “I feel so blessed. This is the greatest honor of our career.” Singer and guitarist Paul Stanley echoed the sentiment, saying the honor “cannot be overstated,” while former guitarist Ace Frehley called it “a dream come true that I never thought would materialize.” Broadway’s Michael Crawford, country legend George Strait, and disco icon Gloria Gaynor round out the list, each with decades of influence in their respective genres.
Yet the selection process has not been without controversy. On August 14, 2025, Ana Navarro, a co-host of The View and an outspoken critic of President Trump, publicly urged Gloria Gaynor to reject the honor. Navarro, recalling a personal encounter with Gaynor at a Miami concert, praised the singer but argued, “I wish she wouldn’t accept an award from the hands of a man who has attacked the rights and history of women, people of color and LGBTQ (people).” Navarro added, “The gay community, in particular, helped turn her signature song into an anthem. Trump is a stain on the prestige and significance of the KCH. Don’t do it, Gloria!”
Despite such calls, Gaynor has not commented publicly on whether she will accept the honor. Meanwhile, the ceremony’s broadcast plans remain somewhat in flux. While CBS has aired the event in previous years, no official television broadcast plans for the 2025 ceremony have been confirmed as of mid-August.
As for Cruise, his absence from the Kennedy Center stage does not signal a quiet year. The actor will be celebrated at the Governors Awards this November, alongside Debbie Allen, production designer Wynn Thomas, and Dolly Parton, who will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Cruise’s filmography includes Oscar-nominated performances in Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia, as well as a Best Picture nomination as producer of Top Gun: Maverick. The latter film grossed over $1 billion globally in 2022, and a third installment is reportedly a top priority for the newly merged Paramount and Skydance studios. David Ellison, now leading the merged company, told The Hollywood Reporter, “One of our biggest priorities is restoring Paramount as the No. 1 destination for the most talented artists and filmmakers in the world. Great filmmakers make great movies.”
Cruise’s schedule remains packed. Earlier this summer, he starred in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and recently completed filming on an untitled project directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, due for release in October 2026. These commitments likely contributed to the “scheduling conflicts” cited as the reason for declining the Kennedy Center invitation.
The Kennedy Center Honors, now in their 48th year, have long been a symbol of cultural achievement in the United States. Traditionally nonpartisan, the event has become a lightning rod for debates over the intersection of politics and the arts, especially in the Trump era. The president’s direct involvement—and his remarks about “woke” material and the need to restore the center to its “former glory”—have polarized opinion, with some applauding his efforts to reshape the institution and others decrying what they see as a politicization of the arts.
As the December ceremony approaches, attention will remain fixed on who attends, who abstains, and what statements—subtle or overt—are made from the stage. In the meantime, Tom Cruise continues to chart his own path, collecting accolades on his own terms and reminding Hollywood (and the public) that sometimes, even the biggest stars have to say no.
