Tom Cruise Reportedly Turned Down Kennedy Center Honors From President Trump Due To “Scheduling Conflicts”

President Donald Trump unveiled the slate of stars who will be honored at the 48th Kennedy Center Honors later this year. But there is one star in particular who reportedly declined the invitation.

According to The Washington Post, Tom Cruise reportedly declined the lifetime achievement award, citing “scheduling conflicts.” The claim was reportedly confirmed by “several” former and current Kennedy Center employees.

Representatives for Cruise and the Kennedy Center did not respond to Decider’s request for comment in time of publication.

Cruise is fresh off the release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, but the actor has several projects coming down the pipeline that may make it difficult to attend the ceremony in December. The actor has not publicly commented on President Trump’s politics and recently declined to answer a question about Trump’s tariffs on movie productions.

Though Cruise will not be attending, the 48th Kennedy Center Honors has already announced which honorees will receive the lifetime artistic achievement award: Actors Sylvester Stallone and Michael Crawford, country singer George Strait, “I Will Survive” singer Gloria Gaynor and KISS. The ceremony will be hosted by President Trump himself.

When announcing the honorees, Trump claimed he “waited and waited” to receive the award himself but “was never able to get one.” He also stated that he was “very involved” in selecting the honorees and “turned down plenty” because of their politics, though he did not name any names.

“They were too woke. I had a couple of wokesters,” Trump said, per Time.

Trump took over as chairman of the Kennedy Center in 2025 after he fired and replaced several members of the board with his own political supporters. He also vowed to steer the organization in a different direction, promising it was “not going to be woke” under his control, leading several artists to cancel their appearances at the Kennedy Center.

The View host Ana Navarro has already publicly shared that she hopes Gaynor would turn down the award, considering Trump’s involvement.

“I wish she wouldn’t accept an award from the hands of a man who has attacked the rights and history of women, people of color and LGBTQ,” Navarro wrote in a social media post. “The gay community in particular, helped turn her signature song into an anthem. Trump is a stain on the prestige and significance of the KCH. Don’t do it, Gloria!”

On the other hand, Stallone has become an outspoken supporter. President Trump personally appointed Stallone to be one of his Hollywood ambassadors, alongside Jon Voight and Mel Gibson.

The 48th Kennedy Center Honors will take place in Washington, D.C., Dec. 7. It will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.