Tom Cruise Reportedly Declines Trump’s Invitation to Kennedy Center Honors
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The ‘Top Gun’ star will instead receive an honorary Oscar at this year’s Governors Awards.
Actor Tom Cruise has reportedly turned down President Donald Trump’s invitation to be honored at the 48th Kennedy Center Honors, according to a Washington Post report citing current and former Kennedy Center employees.
The annual ceremony, held in Washington, D.C., recognizes individuals whose artistic contributions have significantly shaped culture and the arts. This year’s honorees, announced by Trump on Wednesday, include country music legend George Strait, rock band KISS, Broadway icon Michael Crawford, disco queen Gloria Gaynor, and actor Sylvester Stallone.
Cruise—known for blockbuster franchises like Mission: Impossible and Top Gun—was offered the award but declined, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts. The Independent has reached out to a representative for the actor for comment.
In November, Cruise is set to receive an honorary Oscar at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards, alongside production designer Wynn Thomas and choreographer-actress Debbie Allen.
The announcement of the Kennedy Center recipients also made headlines after Trump suggested he might be honored next year, noting he had never received the award. “I waited and waited and waited, and I said, ‘The hell with it, I’ll become chairman and I’ll give myself an honor,’” Trump said.
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Trump further revealed he had significant influence over this year’s honoree list—rejecting several nominees he deemed “too woke.” “I would say I was about 98 percent involved … they all went through me,” he told reporters.
The 48th Kennedy Center Honors will take place in December, with Trump serving as emcee—a role once held by Walter Cronkite and later Caroline Kennedy.
