In a surprising new update, Tom Cruise has turned down the invitation to accept the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor from President Donald Trump.
According to the Washington Post, the Mission: Impossible star, who was named as a recipient at this year’s honors, has declined to join the first group of Kennedy Center Honorees under the US President’s second term.
The Oscar-nominated actor has informed the commander-in-chief that he could not accept the invitation due to “scheduling conflicts,” revealed several current and former sources of the center.
Earlier this year, the 79-year-old US President intensified his efforts to gain control of the Kennedy Center arts complex, and selected five performers he personally admired, which included Sylvester Stallone, rock band Kiss, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford and George Strait.
If the Top Gun star had not turned down the invitation, he would have headlined this year’s distinguished honorees list.
While unveiling the list of recipients, Trump expressed being “very involved” in picking the candidates.
“I would say I was about 98 percent involved. They all went through me. I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different.” he shared.
The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors are scheduled to take place at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, DC, on December 27, 2025.
It will later air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
