Tom Cruise Refused Trump's Invite to Receive Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award — After The Don Was 'Very Involved' in 'Anti-Woke' Honoree Selection Process
Tom Cruise declined to receive a Kennedy Center honor from Donald Trump.
Aug. 15 2025, Published 8:33 a.m. ET
Tom Cruise won't be shaking hands with Donald Trump any time soon.
The Mission: Impossible star has turned down an invitation to receive the Kennedy Center's Lifetime Achievement award from the president, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Fearless Cruise, 63, may be able to pull off death-defying stunts and save the world on screen, but he's apparently no match against "scheduling conflicts" in real life.
Cruise Declines Invite Due to 'Scheduling Conflicts'
Cruise's camp reportedly cited 'scheduling conflicts' as the reason he could not accept the award.
Several current and former employees reportedly claimed Cruise was selected to be among the artists to accept the lifetime achievement award at the 48th Kennedy Center Honors in December, but refused the prestigious offer.
The Top Gun star's camp cited "scheduling conflicts" as the reason he would be unable to accept the honor from the president.
While honorees are typically chosen following an extensive, months-long bipartisan process involving the Kennedy Center board, past honorees and the public, this year veered off course after Trump declared he was taking over as board chair.
Trump Says He Was 'Very Involved' in Honoree Selection
Trump said he was 'very involved' in the honoree selection process.
Staff were blindsided on Tuesday, August 12, when Trump announced honorees had been chosen – and Kennedy Center Honors' executive producer Matthew Winer turned in his resignation.
Trump boasted about how he was "very involved" in the selection process and had to reject "a couple of wokesters" proposed by the board.
He said: "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."
Trump said the Kennedy Center Honors will be 'very different than it used to be, very different.'
At a chaotic press conference the following day, actor Sylvester Stallone, country music legend George Strait, rock band Kiss, Broadway star Michael Crawford and disco icon Gloria Gaynor were announced as the 2025 class of honorees.
As RadarOnline.com reported, the president's speech quickly went from highlighting the honorees' accomplishments and contributions to society to praising his administration.
Trump's bizarre rambling – particularly a tangent on he knows "a lot about grass" from owning golf courses – coupled with his slurred speech sparked "dementia Don" to trend on social media.
Trump Says He'll Give Himself Award 'Next Year'
Trump joked he would give himself the prestigious award 'next year.'
While many social media users questioned if Trump was mentally fit to serve due to his incoherent speech, others slammed him as a "narcissist" after he said he would give himself a Kennedy Center award next year.
Trump told reporters: "Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have been among the most prestigious awards in the performing arts. I wanted one, (but) I was never able to get one.
"It’s true. I would have taken it if they would have called me. I waited and waited and waited and said, the hell with it, I'll become chairman, and I'll give myself an honor."
He teased: "Maybe next year we'll honor Trump, OK?"
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One social media user reacted: "Trump's persona represents the true definition of a narcissist... an extremely self-centered person who has an exaggerated sense of self-importance, an orange face, and shoe lifts."
Another echoed: "No deserving person gives themself an award. It's just empty self-validation like all the golf trophies he 'wins' at his own golf clubs. Something is really wrong with him."
A third wrote: "Trump’s begging for arts awards now – slurring, rambling, crowning himself. This isn’t leadership. It’s a live telethon for his ego."
