VIDEO: Watch Highlights From The 45th Kennedy Center Honors

The 45th Kennedy Center Honors will be broadcast on Wednesday, Dec. 28 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+. Watch the trailer for the upcoming special below!

Opening the show will be Chita Rivera, Big Bird, Garth Brooks, Herbie Hancock, LL Cool J, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Carmen De Lavallade.

As previously announced, the Honorees include acclaimed actor and filmmaker George Clooney; contemporary Christian 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 special will feature Patti LaBelle, Garth Brooks, Ariana DeBose, and Mickey Guyton performing a tribute to Gladys Knight. Hozier, Jamala, and Brandi Carlile will join together for a special performance honoring U2.

The special is also set to feature appareances by Billie Eilish, Matt Damon, Katie Couric, Richard Kind, Don Cheadle, Dianne Reeves, Sheryl Crowe, Maren Morris, and more.

In a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage on Dec. 4, the 2022 Honorees will be saluted by today's leading performers from New York, Hollywood and the arts capitals of the world, accepting the recognition and gratitude of their peers through performances and tributes.

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.

Watch the new trailer here: