Kennedy Center names 2026 honorees as Trump renovation battle moves show offsite
The Kennedy Center said Monday that Paul Anka, David Foster, Andy Garcia, David Mamet and Barbara Mandrell would be recognized at this year’s Kennedy Center Honors, which will be held away from the iconic performing arts venue for the first time as President Donald Trump battles with a federal court over his plans to renovate the building and add his name to it.
All of the nominees have had substantial careers in their respective fields. Mamet is among the most acclaimed playwrights of his time, known for his hard-boiled dialogue in “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “American Buffalo” and other works.
Mandrell is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame whose many hits include “Years” and “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed” and Foster is among the most successful producers of the past 50 years, working with everyone from Chicago to Natalie Cole.
Anka has written or co-written such iconic songs as “My Way” and the theme to the “Tonight” show when Johnny Carson was host. Garcia’s acting credits include “The Untouchables,” “The Godfather Part III” and the HBO film “For Love or Country.”
Several are either friendly with Trump or have been outspoken in support of conservative politics. Mamet told Fox News last year that he was once a “brain-dead liberal” who “discovered my conservative beliefs.” Anka is a longtime friend of Trump who once rewrote ”My Way,” originally written for Frank Sinatra, with MAGA-themed lyrics. Foster has performed for Trump in the past.
The Kennedy Center Honors were established in 1978 and have been given to a broad range of artists. Until Trump’s first term, presidents of both major political parties traditionally attended the annual ceremony, even when they disagreed politically with a given recipient.
Prominent liberals such as Barbra Streisand and Warren Beatty were honored during the administration of Republican George W. Bush, and a leading conservative, Charlton Heston, was feted during the administration of Democrat Bill Clinton.
Trump skipped the awards during his first term but has been far more involved with the Kennedy Center since returning to the White House. He fired the institution’s board of directors and replaced them with loyalists who named him chairman. He personally announced last year’s honorees and hosted the show that honored them.
His administration has spent much of this year locked in a legal battle over whether and how to honor Trump, with the president insisting his name be added to the building in some form. As that plays out, the Kennedy Center has closed with its stages absent of performances for months. This year’s honors program will be held on Dec. 7 at Washington’s Capital One Arena.
“We are proud to honor this year’s class and to continue a tradition that has defined the Center for nearly 50 years,” Trump said in a statement.
Hundreds of people formed a human chain around the Kennedy Center Friday evening in protest of its closing and threats by the Trump administration to demolish the memorial to President John F. Kennedy. News4’s Jackie Bensen reports.
