Tom Cruise Turned Down 2025 Kennedy Center Honor

Earlier this week, President Trump unveiled the 2025 class of Kennedy Center honorees, an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. Missing from that list was actor Tom Cruise, whom The Washington Post reports was offered the honor but turned down the invitation due to "scheduling conflicts." The specific nature of the conflicts is unclear, and Cruise himself has not yet commented on the decision.

If Cruise had accepted, this would have followed in a long line of accolades for the performer. This November, he is set to receive an Honorary Oscar at the 16th Governors Awards, and has previously received the Honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes, a BFI Fellowship and the David O. Selznick Achievement Award from the Producers Guild of America.

Tom Cruise is one of the most successful Hollywood stars of the day. His numerous film credits include both Top Gun films, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July, Interview with the Vampire, Jerry Maguire, and the blockbuster Mission: Impossible franchise. Though Cruise is often known as an action star in franchise blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible and Top Gun, he previously made his movie musical debut in the 2012 jukebox musical Rock of Ages, directed by Adam Shankman.

The 2025 Kennedy Center honorees include Tony Award-winning performer Michael Crawford (The Phantom of the Opera), actor/writer Sylvester Stallone (Broadway's Rocky), country music star George Strait, disco and gospel artist Gloria Gaynor, and rock band KISS. The 48th Kennedy Center Honors will take place on Sunday, December 7, 2025, and will be hosted by Kennedy Center Chairman and U.S. President Donald Trump. CBS will broadcast the Honors at a later date.

This marks the first Kennedy Center Honors under the new Trump administration. Since returning to office, the President has taken a personal interest in his new role as chairman of the American institution. He stepped into the position in February, after dismissing several board members. 

In 2024, Honorees for the 47th Annual Kennedy Center Honors included the legendary American rock band the Grateful Dead (Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, the late Phil Lesh, Bobby Weir), blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt, jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer Arturo Sandoval and The Apollo, which received a special Honors as an iconic American institution.

Past Broadway honorees include Leonard Bernstein, Agnes De Mille, Julie Andrews, Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera, Carol Burnett, Mel Brooks, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, and many more. 

Photo credit: Jeff Spicer Getty Images