The Kennedy Center named the 2026 lifetime achievement honorees who will be recognized at the 49th Kennedy Center Honors ceremony at Capital One Arena next month.
Singer-songwriter Paul Anka, record producer and composer David Foster, actor Andy Garcia, playwright David Mamet, and singer Barbara Mandrell are the five honorees announced by President Donald Trump and the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees on Monday.
“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.”
The five artists will be honored on Dec. 7, in the first Kennedy Center Honors ceremony to take place away from Kennedy Center property. The Center’s hallmark honors ceremony will take place at the downtown arena after a year of turmoil as the Trump administration has pushed to close the Kennedy Center facility, saying it is in desperate need of construction and rehabilitation.
Anka first became famous in 1957 at the age of 15 with his hit song “Diana.” Since then, Anka has written songs like “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” “My Way” for Frank Sinatra, and the theme song of Johnny Carson’s late-night show.
Anka, Mamet, and Foster have expressed public support for President Trump, with Anka writing a customized version of “My Way” for Trump and Mamet referring to him in 2024 as “the best president since Abraham Lincoln.”
Foster has earned 16 Grammy Awards, one Emmy Award, and one Golden Globe Award for his work composing music. He has composed hit songs for artists like Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson.
Garcia was the first Cuban actor to receive an Oscar nomination in 1991 for his role acting as Vincent Mancini in The Godfather Part III. He has been a part of several high-profile movies, including Ocean’s Eleven and Father of the Bride.
KENNEDY CENTER MOVES HONORS CEREMONY TO CAPITAL ONE ARENA
Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize in Drama for his play Glengarry Glen Ross in 1984.
Mandrell, a country singer, is best known for songs such as “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” and “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed.”