History of Kennedy Center Honors in Timeline

The Kennedy Center Honors are annual awards recognizing individuals in the performing arts for their significant contributions to American culture. Since 1978, a gala is held each December at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C., celebrating five honorees. Although primarily awarded to individuals, duos, musical groups, a Broadway musical, a television show, and a performing arts venue have also been recognized for their impact.

1977: Kennedy Center Honors Idea Conceived

In 1977, the idea for the Kennedy Center Honors originated after a White House reception and Kennedy Center program for the American Film Institute. Roger L. Stevens asked George Stevens Jr. to hold an event for the center, which led to the concept being pitched to and bought by CBS.

1978: First Kennedy Center Honors Gala Produced

In 1978, George Stevens Jr. created and produced the first Kennedy Center Honors gala with Nick Vanoff, launching the annual tradition.

1978: Leonard Bernstein First Host

In 1978, Leonard Bernstein was the first host of the Kennedy Center Honors.

1978: Kennedy Center Honors Inauguration

In 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors were first presented, marking the beginning of an annual tradition recognizing lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts. The event culminates each December with a gala at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C.

1979: Eric Sevareid Hosts

In 1979, Eric Sevareid hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, with Gene Kelly closing the event.

1979: Jimmy Carter Absence

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter did not attend the Kennedy Center Honors due to the Iran hostage crisis; First Lady Rosalynn Carter attended in his place.

1980: Beverly Sills Hosts

In 1980, Beverly Sills hosted the Kennedy Center Honors.

1981: Walter Cronkite Hosts

In 1981, Walter Cronkite began his tenure as host of the Kennedy Center Honors, a role he continued until 2002.

1985: Awards Presented to Duos/Groups

Since 1985, on 13 occasions, the Kennedy Center Honors have been presented to duos or groups, including married couples and musical theater songwriting duos.

1987: Tribute to Irving Berlin

In 1987, The Kennedy Center paid special tribute to Irving Berlin at the Gala due to his failing health, after considering him for the awards. Berlin wanted to be honored only if he surpassed his 100th birthday.

May 1988: Berlin's 100th Birthday

May 1988 marked the time when Irving Berlin would have surpassed his 100th birthday.

1989: Irving Berlin Death

In 1989, Irving Berlin died.

1989: George H. W. Bush Absence

In 1989, President George H. W. Bush did not attend the Kennedy Center Honors due to a trip to Brussels; First Lady Barbara Bush attended in his place.

1990: Katharine Hepburn Accepts

In 1990, Katharine Hepburn accepted the Kennedy Center Honors, after initially declining the committee's first offer.

1994: Bill Clinton Absence

In 1994, President Bill Clinton did not attend the Kennedy Center Honors due to a trip to Budapest; First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton attended in his place.

1998: Bill Cosby Honored

In 1998, Bill Cosby was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors.

2002: McCartney Unable to Attend

In 2002, Paul McCartney was selected as an Honoree but could not attend due to his cousin's wedding.

2002: Walter Cronkite's Last Hosting

In 2002, Walter Cronkite hosted the Kennedy Center Honors for the last time, concluding his long tenure.

2003: Caroline Kennedy Hosts

In 2003, Caroline Kennedy began hosting the Kennedy Center Honors, a role she continued until 2012.

2003: McCartney Award Not Postponed

In 2003, after initially saying Paul McCartney's award would be postponed, the Kennedy Center did not give him the award.

2009: Mel Brooks Honored

In 2009, Mel Brooks was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors, the first year Barack Obama was president, after refusing the honor when George W. Bush was in office.

2010: McCartney Honored

In 2010, Paul McCartney became a Kennedy Center Honoree.

2012: Caroline Kennedy's Last Hosting

In 2012, Caroline Kennedy hosted the Kennedy Center Honors for the last time.

2013: Glenn Close Hosts

In 2013, Glenn Close hosted the Kennedy Center Honors.

2014: Stevens Jr. Sells Production Rights

In 2014, George Stevens Jr., after producing and co-writing the Kennedy Center Honors through that year, sold the production rights to the Kennedy Center.

2014: Stephen Colbert Hosts

In 2014, Stephen Colbert began hosting the Kennedy Center Honors, continuing until 2016.

November 2015: Eagles Postpone Acceptance

In November 2015, the Eagles postponed their Kennedy Center Honors acceptance due to Glenn Frey's health problems. Miranda Lambert performed "Desperado" in their honor.

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2015: Obama Attends Gala Late

In 2015, President Barack Obama joined First Lady Michelle Obama late at the Kennedy Center Honors gala after addressing the nation in a live telecast from the White House.

2015: Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss Executive Producers

In 2015, Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment became the Executive Producers of the Kennedy Center Honors after George Stevens Jr. stepped down.

January 18, 2016: Glenn Frey Dies

On January 18, 2016, Glenn Frey of the Eagles died.

2016: Last Presidential Attendance Before Biden

Before Joe and Jill Biden's attendance in 2021, the last time a sitting president and first lady had attended the Kennedy Center Honors event was in 2016.

2016: Stephen Colbert's Last Hosting

In 2016, Stephen Colbert hosted the Kennedy Center Honors for the last time.

December 3, 2017: Ceremony Held Without President and First Lady

On December 3, 2017, the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony was held without President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. Caroline Kennedy hosted, and Rex Tillerson hosted the State Department dinner.

2017: Lear Boycotts White House Ceremony

In 2017, Norman Lear accepted the Kennedy Center Honor but boycotted the White House ceremony due to his opposition to President Donald Trump. The Trumps did not attend the event to avoid political distraction.

2017: No Formal Host

In 2017, there was no formal host for the Kennedy Center Honors, although Caroline Kennedy delivered an introduction.

2017: Presidential Absence

Prior to 2017, there had been three occasions in which the president did not attend the gala performance.

2018: Special Award for Hamilton Creators

At the 2018 ceremony, a special award for "trailblazing creators of a transformative work that defies category" was presented to the creators of the musical Hamilton: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Andy Blankenbuehler and Alex Lacamoire.

2018: Cosby's Award Rescinded

In 2018, Bill Cosby's 1998 Kennedy Center Honor was rescinded following his sexual assault conviction.

2018: Trump Absence

In 2018, Donald and Melania Trump did not participate in any of the events of the Kennedy Center Honors.

2018: Gloria Estefan Hosts

In 2018, Gloria Estefan hosted the Kennedy Center Honors.

2019: Trump Absence

In 2019, Donald and Melania Trump did not participate in any of the events of the Kennedy Center Honors.

2019: LL Cool J Hosts

In 2019, LL Cool J hosted the Kennedy Center Honors.

2019: Kennedy Center Honors Aired Early

In 2019, the Kennedy Center Honors aired on regular television in early December, a departure from its usual post-Christmas airing, and was later available on CBS All Access.

2019: Television Program Honored

In 2019, the Kennedy Center Honors included a television program for the first time, with Sesame Street's co-founders Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett accepting the award.

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2020: Abbreviated Edition Due to Pandemic

In 2020, the Kennedy Center Honors edition was abbreviated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020: 2020 Edition Postponed

In 2020, the Kennedy Center Honors edition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 2021: Biden Welcomes Honorees

In May 2021, due to changes imposed on the 2020 edition by the COVID-19 pandemic, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed that year's Honorees to the White House.

May 22, 2021: 2020 Edition Postponed and Held

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Kennedy Center Honors edition was postponed and eventually held between May 17 and May 22, 2021.

June 6, 2021: Edited Broadcast Aired

On June 6, 2021, the edited broadcast of the postponed 2020 Kennedy Center Honors aired.

December 5, 2021: Biden's Attend Gala Performance

On December 5, 2021, Joe and Jill Biden attended the Kennedy Center Honors gala performance, marking the first time since 2016 that a sitting president and first lady attended the event.

2021: David Letterman and Gloria Estefan Hosts

In 2021, David Letterman hosted the Kennedy Center Honors in late 2021, while Gloria Estefan hosted mid-2021.

2022: No Formal Host

In 2022, there was no formal host for the Kennedy Center Honors, though several former honorees delivered an introduction. David Jammy and Elizabeth Kelly were hired as Executive Producers.

2023: Gloria Estefan Hosts

In 2023, Gloria Estefan hosted the Kennedy Center Honors.

2024: 255 Awardees by 2024

As of 2024, 255 people have been awarded the Kennedy Center Honors, not counting special awards.

2024: Queen Latifah Hosts

In 2024, Queen Latifah hosted the Kennedy Center Honors.

2024: Apollo Theater Honored

In 2024, the Apollo Theater in New York City received a special award, marking the first time an institution was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors.