Kennedy Center Announcement Includes Kiss in First Honors Since Controversial Trump Era
The Kennedy Center Honors, a prestigious cultural event that celebrates the achievements of influential artists, has found itself at the centre of controversy this year. The honorees for 2025 include the iconic rock band, Kiss.
Kiss, formed in 1973 in New York City by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss, has become a global phenomenon, selling over 100 million records worldwide and producing 30 gold albums. The band has been honored for being one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Gene Simmons, a member of Kiss, stated that receiving the Kennedy Center Honor is the embodiment of the American dream for the band.
However, the production and presentation of this year's Kennedy Center Honors show is under the helm of President Trump. His involvement began with the removal of a significant number of trustees from the Kennedy Center's board and the appointment of his own appointees. This move led to the election of Trump as chairman of the Kennedy Center by the new appointees.
The review of the Kennedy Center's operations seeks to ensure alignment with President Trump's view of American history and to remove divisive or partisan narratives. This review will also be applied to other cultural institutions, including the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
The President's actions towards the Kennedy Center have not gone unopposed. Several Kennedy Center luminaries resigned in opposition to Trump's takeover, and there were suggestions and actions linked to renaming parts of the center and displaying prominent portraits of Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, along with their wives, inside the building.
Despite the controversy, Paul Stanley, a member of Kiss, expressed that the prestige of the Kennedy Center Honors cannot be overstated and accepted the honor on behalf of the long legacy of Kiss. The band will be performing something special before the show at the Kennedy Center Honors.
It is worth noting that there is no mention in the search results of any specific actions taken by Trump towards the Smithsonian Institution. Therefore, based on the available information, the controversy and actions detailed pertain solely to the Kennedy Center.
[1] Source: Various news articles and reports from 2025.
- Amidst the controversy surrounding the Kennedy Center Honors, the iconic rock band Kiss has been honored in 2025.
- Paul Stanley, a member of Kiss, stated that receiving the Kennedy Center Honor is the embodiment of the American dream for the band.
- However, the production and presentation of this year's Kennedy Center Honors show is under the helm of President Trump.
- The review of the Kennedy Center's operations seeks to ensure alignment with President Trump's view of American history and to remove divisive or partisan narratives.
- Despite the controversy, Paul Stanley accepted the honor on behalf of the long legacy of Kiss.
- The band will be performing something special before the show at the Kennedy Center Honors.
- The news reports of 2025 also mentioned that there is no mention of any specific actions taken by Trump towards the Smithsonian Institution, suggesting that the controversy and actions detailed pertain solely to the Kennedy Center.
