The Kennedy Center Honors

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Celebrate the 44th Honorees

Meet this season's phenomenal artists, preview the event, and watch amazing performances honoring their peers from past shows.

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Meet the Honorees

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is proud to celebrate the 44th Honorees for lifetime artistic achievements: operatic bass-baritone Justino Díaz, Motown founder, songwriter, producer, and director Berry Gordy, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, legendary stage and screen icon Bette Midler, and singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell.

Justino Díaz

Operatic bass-baritone Justino Díaz’s remarkable career has taken him to the stages of the world’s greatest opera houses and symphonic halls. He stands as one of the greatest bass-baritones in the field.

Justino Díaz

Operatic bass-baritone Justino Díaz’s remarkable career has taken him to the stages of the world’s greatest opera houses and symphonic halls. He stands as one of the greatest bass-baritones in the field.

Berry Gordy

Berry Gordy’s unparalleled contribution to music and popular culture as a songwriter, producer, and director provided the musical soundtrack for generations of Americans and brought us many of today’s greatest artists. He is responsible for the “Motown Sound” that reached out across a racially divided, politically and socially charged country, to transform popular music forever.

Berry Gordy

Berry Gordy’s unparalleled contribution to music and popular culture as a songwriter, producer, and director provided the musical soundtrack for generations of Americans and brought us many of today’s greatest artists. He is responsible for the “Motown Sound” that reached out across a racially divided, politically and socially charged country, to transform popular music forever.

Lorne Michaels

The Emmy Award winning producer and writer created Saturday Night Live, capturing the zeitgeist of American life and culture.

Lorne Michaels

The Emmy Award winning producer and writer created Saturday Night Live, capturing the zeitgeist of American life and culture.

Bette Midler

As one of the world's most beloved entertainers and living legends, Bette Midler’s expansive body of work has spanned nearly six decades across different genres, eras, and media.

Bette Midler

As one of the world's most beloved entertainers and living legends, Bette Midler’s expansive body of work has spanned nearly six decades across different genres, eras, and media.

Joni Mitchell

An artist of unparalleled talent stretching across genres, Joni Mitchell is an icon of modern music and one of the most influential songwriters and creators of our age.

Joni Mitchell

An artist of unparalleled talent stretching across genres, Joni Mitchell is an icon of modern music and one of the most influential songwriters and creators of our age.

Interviews on the Red Carpet

Backstage at the Honors

Celebrating the 44th Honorees

Honors Highlights By Year

  • Honors Highlights of 2018

    Honorees include singer and actress Cher, composer and pianist Philip Glass, Country music entertainer Reba McEntire, and jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter.

  • Honors Highlights of 2017

    Honorees include dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade, singer-songwriter and actress Gloria Estefan, hip hop artist and entertainment icon LL COOL J, television writer and producer Norman Lear, and musician and record producer Lionel Richie.

  • Honors Highlights of 2016

    Honorees include pianist Martha Argerich, rock band the Eagles, screen and stage actor Al Pacino, gospel and blues singer Mavis Staples, and musician James Taylor.

  • Honors Highlights of 2015

    Honorees include singer-songwriter Carole King, filmmaker George Lucas, actress and singer Rita Moreno, conductor Seiji Ozawa, and actress and Broadway star Cicely Tyson.

  • Honors Highlights of 2014

    Honorees include singer Al Green, actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks, ballerina Patricia McBride, singer-songwriter Sting, and comedienne Lily Tomlin.

  • Honors Highlights of 2013

    Honorees include opera singer Martina Arroyo; pianist, keyboardist, bandleader and composer Herbie Hancock; pianist, singer and songwriter Billy Joel; actress Shirley MacLaine; and musician and songwriter Carlos Santana.

  • Honors Highlights of 2012

    Honorees include bluesman Buddy Guy, actor Dustin Hoffman, comedian and television host David Letterman, ballerina Natalia Makarova, and rock band Led Zeppelin for their contributions to the arts.

See How the Honors Event Comes Together

Get Ideas for an Honors Watch Party

Learn how to create your own beautiful Honors-worthy floral centerpiece with Urban Petals Floral Design owner Sarah von Pollaro, and indulge in a special Honors-inspired menu created by Executive Chef Jaime Montes de Oca.

Download Recipes

How to Make an Honors Dinner with Chef Jaime Montes de Oca Jr.

How to Create an Honors Floral Centerpiece with Sarah von Pollaro

Honors Memories

Great Performances

History of the Kennedy Center Honors

Throughout its 40-year history, the Kennedy Center Honors has redefined America's perception of its artistic legacy and reinvented the way this nation rewards its artists. The Honors have been compared to a knighthood in Britain, or the French Legion of Honor--the quintessential reward for a lifetime's endeavor. At the same time, the annual addition of new names to the roster of Honors recipients charts the international standard of excellence set by America's artists, as well as the aesthetic inspiration provided by artists of other nations who have achieved prominence on these shores.

The annual Honors gala is an evening without categories, without disappointments, without competition -- and the Honors telecast is a perennial Emmy nominee. It serves for millions of American arts lovers as the year's crowning event, paying tribute to our nation's preeminent artists with performances by the great stars of today who have followed in their footsteps. The complete list of guest performers is kept secret until the show is in progress, keeping both the Honorees and the nation on the edge of their seats.

Past Honorees

Throughout the years, the Kennedy Center Honors has upheld a tradition of recognizing the lifelong accomplishments and extraordinary talents of our nations' most-prestigious artists. Find out more about past Honorees by clicking on a name below.

Look Back With Our Interactive Timeline

See class photos, video tributes, and information about each Kennedy Center Honors event throughout its storied history.

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All events and artists subject to change without prior notice.

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The Kennedy Center Honors Founding Producer is George Stevens, Jr.

Honorary Chair

Ann Jordan