Kennedy Center Honors hits $23M record, nearly doubling under President Trump

Exclusive: the Kennedy Center Honors It raised a record $23 million for its 48th annual gala, nearly double the $12.7 million raised last year under President Biden, as president Donald Trump Trump begins his term as head of the Kennedy Center, Fox News Digital has learned.

According to the Kennedy Center, the $23 million total represents the largest fundraising amount in the 48-year history of the honor, which was launched in 1978 as the institution’s highest recognition for lifetime artistic achievement.

While Kennedy Center honorees have visited the Oval Office privately in past years, Trump on Saturday hosted the first official on-camera ceremony to honor the recipients inside the Oval Office, introducing each honoree before Sunday night’s ceremony.

The center “nearly doubled its fundraising last year, to a historic $23 million,” Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell told Fox News Digital, calling the awards “one of the highest-profile celebrations of the performing arts in our country.”

Officials say Trump’s expanded role as president and his direct involvement in the weekend’s events contributed to what they described as “intense interest and momentum” around the program.

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The White House X page posted a photo of President Donald Trump in the Resolute office with the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees. (@WhiteHouse via X)

Roma Dharavi, vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, told Fox News Digital that the new standard reflects unprecedented donor enthusiasm.

“The record $23 million in contributions to the Kennedy Center Awards is a testament to the extraordinary support for our mission and underscores a vibrant future for this beloved American institution,” she said.

During the Oval Office ceremony on Saturday night, the first of its kind in the honor’s history, Trump personally introduced each of the 2025 honorees. “A great honor,” he began. “And I am thrilled to welcome to the Oval Office…the truly exceptional 2025 Kennedy Center honorees.”

He went on to describe the group as “perhaps the most accomplished and distinguished class of Kennedy Center honorees ever.”

This year’s recipients include: George Straitmembers of the rock band KISS – Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley (posthumously) – Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor and Sylvester Stallone.

Trump singled out each of them individually, praising Strait as a “country music legend,” Crawford as a “great Broadway star,” Gaynor as the “Queen of Disco,” Stallone as “one of the true great movie stars,” and Kiss as an “amazing rock band.”

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President Donald Trump delivers his remarks to the 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees in the Oval Office on Saturday. (Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)

Trump also unveiled new award medals, redesigned and donated by Tiffany & Co. “This year we will be introducing Kennedy Center Honors medals, which this year will be designed with the help of the wonderful team at Tiffany & Company,” he said.

The new medal features a gold disc engraved with an image of the Kennedy Center, surrounded by rainbow colors representing the wide range of artistic disciplines celebrated by the honor.

The reverse includes each winner’s name written above the date of the medal’s 2025 ceremony, and the medal hangs from a dark blue ribbon “associated with dignity and tradition,” according to the foundation’s description.

The honorees will be formally honored Sunday evening during a star-studded ceremony at the Kennedy Center following a reception at the State Department, which Trump noted has “never happened before” because “we’ve never had a president host the awards before. This is a first.”

This year’s chapter spans five decades American cultural achievement. Known as the “King of Country Music,” Strait holds over 100 million RIAA credentials and remains the only artist to chart the Top 10 every year for over thirty years. KISS has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, and remains one of America’s most enduring rock bands.

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks as honored musicians (2nd from left) Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of the rock band KISS, actor Sylvester Stallone, musician Peter Criss of the rock band KISS, actor Michael Crawford and country musician George Strait, during the 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees Medal Ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on December 06, 2025 in Washington, DC. The 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees are Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, the rock band KISS, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford. (Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)

Crawford is world-famous for starring in “The Phantom of the Opera.” Gaynor has achieved international stardom over five decades and is a two-time Grammy Award winner.

An Oscar-nominated actor, writer and director, Stallone shaped generations of moviegoers through the “Rocky” and “Rambo” franchises.

The National Symphony Orchestra opens all of its performances at the Kennedy Center with the National Anthem

Actor Sylvester Stallone looks on during the 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees Medal Ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on Saturday. (Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)

The Kennedy Center itself, established in 1971 as the national living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, hosts more than 2,000 performances each year. The tribute ceremony began in 1978 and has become a staple of the Washington cultural calendar.

Trump also highlighted ongoing renovations to the Kennedy Center building, which he said were being done “at a level no one has ever seen before,” citing Congressional funding for major upgrades — including acoustics improvements. “The sound is so great,” he said. “If it’s designed with a bad sound, it’ll never be fixed.”

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The 48th Annual Kennedy Center Honors will air Dec. 23 on CBS and stream on Paramount+, with live access for Premium subscribers and next-day streaming for Basic subscribers.

Officials say the weekend’s events, from the FIFA World Cup draw to the Oval Office reception to Sunday’s gala, reflect a new chapter for the institution as it enters its first full year under Trump and prepares for the next phase of renovations, programming and change. Expand your donors.