Tom Cruise snubs Kennedy Center Honor
The Mission: Impossible actor was offered the prestigious award - which "recognises and celebrates individuals whose unique artistic contributions have shaped our world" - but declined due to scheduling conflicts, multiple anonymous current and former Kennedy Center employees told The Washington Post.
Instead, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the ceremony in December will see rockers KISS, stage star Michael Crawford, disco legend Gloria Gaynor, country musician George Strait and actor Sylvester Stallone honoured.
Trump announced the recipients on Wednesday (13.08.25) from the Kennedy Center's Hall of Nations, where he unveiled five portraits draped in velvet, and he also admitted he himself had long wanted one of the prestigious accolades.
He said: 'I waited and waited and waited, and I said, 'The hell with it, I'll become chairman and I'll give myself an honour ... Next year, we'll honour Trump, okay?'
The former Apprentice star was "very involved" in choosing the recipients and turned down some suggestions he didn't personally approve of.
He said: 'I would say I was about 98 percent involved. They all went through me.
'... I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different.'
In a major change to the ceremony - which will take place on 7 December and air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at a later date - the president himself will serve as host.
While Tom may have turned down the accolade, he will receive another prestigious honour this year.
In June, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts Sciences announced the Top Gun: Maverick actor will receive an honorary Oscar at the 2025 Governors Awards, which take place on 16 November.
In addition, actress Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas will also be honoured, while 9 to 5 hitmaker Dolly Parton will pick up the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Tom Cruise snubs Kennedy Center honour
Tom Cruise reportedly turned down a Kennedy Center honour. The Mission: Impossible actor was offered the prestigious award - which "recognises and celebrates individuals whose unique artistic contributions have shaped our world" - but declined due to scheduling conflicts, multiple anonymous current and former Kennedy Center employees told The Washington Post. Instead, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the ceremony in December would see rockers KISS, stage star Michael Crawford, disco legend Gloria Gaynor, country musician George Strait and actor Sylvester Stallone honoured. Trump announced the recipients on Wednesday from the Kennedy Center's Hall of Nations, where he unveiled five portraits draped in velvet, and he also admitted he himself had long wanted one of the prestigious accolades. He said: "I waited and waited and waited, and I said, 'The hell with it, I'll become chairman and I'll give myself an honour ... Next year, we'll honour Trump, OK?" The former Apprentice star was "very involved" in choosing the recipients and turned down some suggestions he did not personally approve of. "... I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different," he said. In a major change to the ceremony - which will take place in December, the president himself will serve as host. While Cruise may have turned down the accolade, he will receive another honour, with the Top Gun: Maverick actor to receive an honorary Oscar at the 2025 Governors Awards, which take place in November. Tom Cruise reportedly turned down a Kennedy Center honour. The Mission: Impossible actor was offered the prestigious award - which "recognises and celebrates individuals whose unique artistic contributions have shaped our world" - but declined due to scheduling conflicts, multiple anonymous current and former Kennedy Center employees told The Washington Post. Instead, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the ceremony in December would see rockers KISS, stage star Michael Crawford, disco legend Gloria Gaynor, country musician George Strait and actor Sylvester Stallone honoured. Trump announced the recipients on Wednesday from the Kennedy Center's Hall of Nations, where he unveiled five portraits draped in velvet, and he also admitted he himself had long wanted one of the prestigious accolades. He said: "I waited and waited and waited, and I said, 'The hell with it, I'll become chairman and I'll give myself an honour ... Next year, we'll honour Trump, OK?" The former Apprentice star was "very involved" in choosing the recipients and turned down some suggestions he did not personally approve of. "... I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different," he said. In a major change to the ceremony - which will take place in December, the president himself will serve as host. While Cruise may have turned down the accolade, he will receive another honour, with the Top Gun: Maverick actor to receive an honorary Oscar at the 2025 Governors Awards, which take place in November. Tom Cruise reportedly turned down a Kennedy Center honour. The Mission: Impossible actor was offered the prestigious award - which "recognises and celebrates individuals whose unique artistic contributions have shaped our world" - but declined due to scheduling conflicts, multiple anonymous current and former Kennedy Center employees told The Washington Post. Instead, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the ceremony in December would see rockers KISS, stage star Michael Crawford, disco legend Gloria Gaynor, country musician George Strait and actor Sylvester Stallone honoured. Trump announced the recipients on Wednesday from the Kennedy Center's Hall of Nations, where he unveiled five portraits draped in velvet, and he also admitted he himself had long wanted one of the prestigious accolades. He said: "I waited and waited and waited, and I said, 'The hell with it, I'll become chairman and I'll give myself an honour ... Next year, we'll honour Trump, OK?" The former Apprentice star was "very involved" in choosing the recipients and turned down some suggestions he did not personally approve of. "... I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different," he said. In a major change to the ceremony - which will take place in December, the president himself will serve as host. While Cruise may have turned down the accolade, he will receive another honour, with the Top Gun: Maverick actor to receive an honorary Oscar at the 2025 Governors Awards, which take place in November.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Denzel Washington 'not interested' in winning another Oscar
Denzel Washington is "not that interested" in winning another Oscar because he already has two at home. The 70-year-old Hollywood actor has received 10 Academy Award nominations over the years and he's won twice - taking home the Best Supporting Actor prize for 1989 drama Glory and then claiming Best Actor Oscar for 2001's Training Day - but Denzel has confessed he's not striving to win another. Speaking on Jake's Takes, Denzel explained: "I don't do it [make movies] for Oscars. I really don't care about that kind of stuff. "I've been at this a long time, and there's times when I've won, shouldn't have won, didn't win, should have won. "Man gives the award, God gives the award. I'm not that interested in Oscars. People say: 'Well, where do you keep it?' I say: 'Next to the other one'." He went on to add: "I'm not bragging. I'm just telling you how I feel about it. On my last day, it ain't going to do me a bit of good." Host Jake Hamilton then said: "I don't think God ever asks: 'How many Oscars do you have?' and Denzel replied: "He might go: 'You know, that's why I gave you an extra week'. As long as He says: 'Now, get on up here', I'm alright." Denzel was last nominated for an Oscar at the 2021 ceremony for his role in The Tragedy of Macbeth, but he lost out on the Best Actor gong to Will Smith, who won for his tennis drama King Richard. The movie star previously admitted he felt "bitter" after losing out on two Best Actor Oscars and stopped voting for the Academy Awards as he indulged in a "pity party". After winning for Glory in the Best Supporting Actor category, Denzel went on to miss out on the Best Actor prize for Malcolm X when he was pitched against Scent of a Woman star Al Pacino in 1993 and he lost again in 2000 when he was nominated for Hurricane and the top gong went to Kevin Spacey for American Beauty - and Denzel said it was a tough loss. He told Esquire magazine: "At the Oscars, they called Kevin Spacey's name for American Beauty. I have a memory of turning around and looking at him, and nobody was standing but the people around him. "And everyone else was looking at me. Not that it was this way. Maybe that's the way I perceived it. Maybe I felt like everybody was looking at me. Because why would everybody be looking at me? "Thinking about it now, I don't think they were. I'm sure I went home and drank that night. I had to. I don't want to sound like: 'Oh, he won my Oscar', or anything like that. It wasn't like that." Denzel began to resent the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and he got his wife to vote for the winners instead. He added: "I went through a time then when [my wife] Pauletta would watch all the Oscar movies - I told her: 'I don't care about that. Hey. They don't care about me? I don't care. You vote. You watch them. I ain't watching that.' "I gave up. I got bitter. My pity party." However, he then made a huge comeback just two years later when he won the coveted Best Actor Oscar for Training Day and he has since received four more nominations for Flight, Fences, Roman J. Israel, Esq. and The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
KISS 'deeply honoured' to receive Kennedy Center Honor
KISS feel "deeply honoured" to be receiving a Kennedy Center Honor. The veteran rockers are among the recipients of the prestigious award - which "recognises and celebrates individuals whose unique artistic contributions have shaped our world" - this year and couldn't be happier to be recognised alongside the likes of stage star Michael Crawford, disco legend Gloria Gaynor, country musician George Strait and actor Sylvester Stallone. Paul Stanley told TMZ: "From our earliest days, Kiss has embodied the American ideal that all things are possible and that hard work pays off. "The prestige of the Kennedy Center Honors cannot be overstated and I accept this on behalf of the long legacy of Kiss and all of the band members who helped create our iconic band." Gene Simmons added: "Kiss is the embodiment of the American dream. We are deeply honoured to receive the Kennedy Center Honor." Ace Frehley said: "[It is] a dream come true that I never thought would materialise." Peter Criss simply said: "I feel so blessed. This is the greatest honour of our career." Despite various members of KISS being critical of President Donald Trump in the past, their remarks don't seem to have had an impact on their selection because the US leader said he was "very involved" in choosing the recipients and turned down some suggestions he didn't personally approve of. Announcing the recipients this week, he said: 'I would say I was about 98 percent involved. They all went through me. '... I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different.' In a major change to the ceremony - which will take place on 7 December and air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at a later date - the president himself will serve as host. When he made the announcement at the Kennedy Center's Hall of Nations, where he unveiled five portraits draped in velvet, Trump admitted he himself had long wanted one of the prestigious accolades. He said: 'I waited and waited and waited, and I said, 'The hell with it, I'll become chairman and I'll give myself an honour ... Next year, we'll honour Trump, okay?' Tom Cruise is believed to have turned down the honour due to scheduling conflicts.
