Why Tom Cruise Reportedly Said 'No' to Donald Trump's Kennedy Center Honor Invite
On Wednesday, Aug. 13, Donald Trump announced the Class of 2025 for the Kennedy Center Honors with KISS, Michael Crawford, George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, and Gloria Gaynor. Still, there was one name the president was reportedly hoping to nab but couldn’t.
A-list actor Tom Cruise was on the list, but declined the honor, according to The Washington Post. The media outlet heard the news from Kennedy Center employees, who claimed that the Mission: Impossible star’s excuse for sitting out was “scheduling conflicts. The ceremony is expected to take place on Dec. 7 in Washington, D.C. and will be televised on CBS at a later date.
Cruise hasn’t publicly confirmed the report, but that would have been quite a showstopper if the 63-year-old actor had accepted the invitation. Donald Trump was reportedly “98 percent involved” with the selection process. Still, it’s hard to say whether Cruise’s rejection is a snub because he does his best to stay away from politics in general.
During a press conference for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in May, a Korean media outlet asked for his thoughts about Donald Trump’s tariffs and the effects they might have on the movie industry.
Cruise politely pivoted, per the NY Post, “We’d rather answer questions about the movie. Thank you.”
The televised show might feel a little more political than normal this year because Donald Trump announced he would also be hosting the show. Last year, it was hosted by Queen Latifah.
“I’ve been asked to host. I said, ‘I’m the President of the United States,” Donald Trump said at the press conference. “Are you fools asking me to do that?’ [They said] ‘Sir, you’ll get much higher ratings.’ I said ‘I don’t care. I’m President of the United States. I won’t do it.’ They said, ‘Please.’ … I said, ‘OK, I’ll do it.’ So, I have a great host [for the show].”
“Do you believe what I have to do? I didn’t want to do it,” he continued. “They’ll [his critics] say he insisted [on hosting]. I did not insist, but I think it will be quite successful, actually. It’s been a long time. I used to host The Apprentice finales and we did rather well with that. So, I think we’re going to do very well.”
During his first administration, Donald Trump did not attend any of the Kennedy Center Honors ceremonies.
Before you go, click here for a look back at Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s 11-year marriage.