Kennedy Center Honors 2026: Mamet, Anka, Garcia, Foster, Mandrell

Paul Anka, David Foster, Andy Garcia, David Mamet and Barbara Mandrell will receive the 49th Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 7 — the first ceremony ever staged at Washington's Capital One Arena rather than the center itself. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced the slate jointly with President Donald Trump, who chairs its board.

The timing is unusually late. Honorees are typically revealed between July and September, so an announcement this close to the December gala breaks with nearly five decades of practice.

Who are the honorees?

Each recipient arrives with a distinct track record:

• Paul Anka — singer-songwriter behind "Diana" and "My Way"
• David Foster — 16-time Grammy-winning composer who helped launch Celine Dion and Michael Bublé
• Andy Garcia — Oscar-nominated actor, credits include "The Godfather: Part III" and "Ocean's Eleven"
• David Mamet — Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, screenwriter and director of "Glengarry Glen Ross" and "Oleanna"
• Barbara Mandrell — country singer known for "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right"

Past honorees set a high bar: Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, Led Zeppelin and Sidney Poitier.

"We are recognizing amazing artists whose lifelong work has shaped American culture and inspired generations of audiences," Trump said in a statement. "We are proud to honor this year's class and to continue a tradition that has defined the Center for nearly 50 years."

What's happening at the Kennedy Center itself?

The ceremony lands in the middle of an unprecedented standoff over the institution's identity. The board, handpicked by Trump, voted in December 2025 to add his name to the building, triggering widespread outrage. A federal judge ruled in May that only Congress can rename it, and Trump's name came down in June.

When the judge blocked another renaming attempt in September, the board voted to close the center, citing structural deterioration. Trump has said renovations won't begin unless a higher court lets his name return, warning the building could otherwise end up "ripped down." His Justice Department backs him, arguing the center faces financial and physical collapse without Trump's name on it.

The institution has historically avoided partisan fights. That record is now gone.

What does this change for the broadcast?

Two open questions hang over the gala: no host has been announced, and no broadcast partner exists yet. CBS has aired the event every year since its inception in 1978, but its rights expired in 2025. Trump hosted the 2025 gala himself, an edition that saw a steep drop in viewership and honored Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, KISS and Michael Crawford.

So this year's honors will run without a confirmed host, without a confirmed broadcaster, and in a hockey arena instead of the opera house the event has called home. Whether the Dec. 7 ceremony restores the tradition Trump invokes — or further dilutes it — depends on who picks up the broadcast, and soon.