Bono & the Edge, Gladys Knight & More to Receive Kennedy Center Honors

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has announced the selection of five Honorees who will receive the 45th KENNEDY CENTER HONORS for lifetime artistic achievements.

Recipients to be honored at the annual national celebration of the arts in Washington, D.C. are: acclaimed actor and filmmaker George Clooney; contemporary Christian and pop singer-songwriter Amy Grant; the legendary singer of soul, Gospel, R&B, and pop Gladys Knight; Cuban-born American composer, conductor, and educator Tania León; and iconic Irish rock band U2, comprised of band members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.

The Kennedy Center also announced TODAY that Done+Dusted, the award-winning production company and producers of the Center's Mark Twain Prize since 2018, have been selected as Executive Producers of the 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors.

"Growing up in a small town in Kentucky I could never have imagined that someday I'd be the one sitting in the balcony at the Kennedy Center Honors. To be mentioned in the same breath with the rest of these incredible artists is an honor. This is a genuinely exciting surprise for the whole Clooney family," George Clooney stated.

"I'm humbled beyond words to be included amongst this prestigious group of individuals, both past and present. You could never have told me as a young girl starting my career that I would be honored on a stage such as this, with artists and humanitarians such as these-it just wouldn't have seemed possible. It would have been the dream of all dreams," Gladys Knight stated. "I have been blessed with so much in my life and this certainly stands with those achievements at the top of that list. To be honored as a Kennedy Center Honoree is among the highlights of my career. I stand here with my fans, my family, my friends, my team, and my faith in accepting such an amazing distinction. It is dedicated to all those who paved the path for me to be able to accomplish the wonderful blessings I've been able to receive. The Kennedy Center's commitment to the arts is unparalleled and I am so very grateful for this moment."

"For nearly a half-century, THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS has represented the very best of America's creative culture. The Honors is often referred to by past recipients as the pinnacle of awards because it recognizes not just one performance, album, or film, but esteems an artist's cumulative body of work and influence over many decades. This level of distinction is important. Through this holistic viewpoint, each year's Honorees add another layer to the complex and inspiring collage of artists that together tell the story of our collective contribution to global culture. Now, as the Center completes its yearlong 50th Anniversary celebration, I cannot help but think that the Kennedy Center's namesake would surely smile at this celebration that brings us closer to his vision of 'an America which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft,'" said Deborah F. Rutter, Kennedy Center President.

Throughout its 44-year history, the annual Honors Gala has become the highlight of the Washington cultural and society calendar, and its national broadcast on CBS is a high point of the television season. On Sunday, December 4, in a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage, the 45th class of Kennedy Center Honorees will be saluted by today's leading performers from New York, Hollywood, and the arts capitals of the world. Seated in the Box Tier of the iconic Kennedy Center Opera House, the Honorees will accept the recognition and gratitude of their peers through performances and tributes. The 45th KENNEDY CENTER HONORS Gala concludes with a dinner in the Grand Foyer.

The Honors Gala will be recorded for broadcast on the CBS Television Network at a later date for the 45th consecutive year as a two-hour primetime special and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Joining this year's Honors creative team is Done+Dusted, a production company with a reputation for creating and capturing the moments that make headlines and shape culture. The 45th annual KENNEDY CENTER HONORS will be produced by Done+Dusted in association with ROK Productions, represented by Elizabeth Kelly, who will executive produce alongside David Jammy and Ian Stewart. The show will be directed by Alex Rudzinski.

Done+Dusted is a multi-award winning global entertainment group with offices in Los Angeles, London, and Abu Dhabi, the preeminent producer of live television events in the world. D+D has produced the previous three Mark Twain Prize shows at the Kennedy Center, and has reimagined and reinvigorated the country's preeminent recognition for humor, resulting in an Emmy®-nominated tent-pole on the Kennedy Center calendar.

Whether it is producing the most watched television event in history (The London Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies), the Apple TV+ world ratings blockbuster Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special, the ABC hit series of Disney Singalongs, multiple network "roadblocks" including Stand Up To Cancer and Graduate Together, YouTube Originals' most watched live event ever, Dear Class of 2020, the last four Emmy Awards® (including two during the pandemic), or the ABC ratings sensation Little Mermaid Live, D+D's work bears the distinct badge of quality, spectacle, and storytelling that makes it, unequivocally "Done+Dusted."

The Honors recipients are recognized for their contributions to American culture through the performing arts-whether in music, dance, theater, opera, motion pictures, or television-and are confirmed by the Executive Committee of the Center's Board of Trustees. The primary criterion in the selection process is excellence. The Honors are not designated by art form or category of artistic achievement; the selection process, over the years, has produced balance among the various arts and artistic disciplines.

The Honoree selection process includes solicitation of recommendations from former Honorees, the artistic community, the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, and the general public. This year's selected Honorees were chosen based on the recommendation of the Center's Special Honors Advisory Committee, which is chaired by David Bohnett and includes past Honors recipients and distinguished artists Julie Andrews, Gloria Estefan, Herbie Hancock, Judith Jamison, Lionel Richie, and John Williams as well as David M. Rubenstein, Deborah F. Rutter, Bryan Lourd, Cappy McGarr, Shonda Rhimes, and Daryl Roth. These individuals play a critical role in the evaluation and selection process, and the Kennedy Center is indebted to them for their involvement.