Posted on 08/13/2025 11:18:28 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Kiss have been selected to receive the Kennedy Center Honors, and will be presented the award by President Donald Trump, who will host the ceremony on Dec. 8.
"We'll be honoring one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Kiss," Trump said while announcing this year's class of honorees - which also includes George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford and Gloria Gaynor.
The Kennedy Center honors are designed to reward individuals who have made significant contributions to American culture through the performing arts.
After unveiling a photo of Kiss at the announcement ceremony, the President praised all four original members of the band - Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley - as "incredible" and hard working people.
He then ran through a list of their accomplishments: "Kiss became a global phenomenon, sold more than 100 million records worldwide and produced 30 gold albums and lots of other things they produced, they made a fortune."
Trump also stated that Kiss would do "something special" to commemorate the occasion: "They're going to do something very special, Kiss is gonna be here on, a little bit before the show I think, they're going to do something special, we're going to have a great time."
Soon after the announcement, radio host Eddie Trunk tweeted that he had been told by "a very reliable source" that only the four original members Trump named would receive the honors, and that they had all agreed to attend, but not perform together at the event.
As Deadline notes, Trump has previously criticized the Kennedy Center as "woke" and its honoree selections as "radical left lunatics." He fired his predecessor Joe Biden's nominees to the organization's board, which resulted in Trump himself being appointed as the Kennedy Center chairman.
Last year's class of Kennedy Center honorees included director Francis Ford Coppola, the Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and the Apollo Theater.
So as you likely just learned @realDonaldTrump has nominated @kiss for @KCHonors . I have been told by a very reliable source involved it is original band only and all have agreed to attend. So we will have all 4 in the same room once again! They do not play. More TBA.
— Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) August 13, 2025
Let’s congratulate Paul, Gene, Ace and Peter for the announcement of being chosen for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors later this year! WOW. President Trump said KISS will be doing something special. That’s a big tease for all of us right? @kiss pic.twitter.com/4oPuSmjmUK
— Bruce Kulick (@brucekulick) August 13, 2025
The rest I can see. But Gloria Gaynor?
You prefer Janet Gaynor?
I’m not sure that I’d put Kiss in the “among the greatest rock bands” but it would sure be fun to see Trump in Gene Simmons makeup.
They certainly had the best marketing, though.
These are good picks who will not get out of line or be disrespectful.
It’s a Kennedy Center Honor, she’s won two Grammy’s I believe.
And they are both the same height.
Considered KISS a band of homos.
I remember people saying KISS was an acronym for Kids In Satan’s Service.
Whether you’re a fan or not, this is a cool story.
“KISSed in Cadillac” is the remarkable true story of how the legendary rock band KISS made an unforgettable visit to a small town in Michigan in 1975. What started as a unique idea to boost school spirit turned into a historic homecoming show that left a lasting impact on the town of Cadillac.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnZOtEbK-Tc
Interestingly, there's a guy named Eric Carr who's a pretty darn good drummer. He marched with Carolina Crown (which didn't even exist in my Drum Corps days), and "The Commandant's Own" Marine Drum & Bugle Corps.
He has a pretty cool YouTube channel.
Angel was the white (vs. black) version of Kiss, discovered by Gene Simmons.
Jobriathm, the first gay rock star.
[These were before my time, but I read about them.]
The rest I can see. But Gloria Gaynor?
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And why not? I look forward to your answer.
While Gene Simmons hasn’t explicitly called KISS a “bad band,” he has been very open about the fact that the band’s focus was more on the live experience and entertainment than on creating consistently great albums. He’s acknowledged that Kiss never spent enough time in the studio and has even called one album “dishonest”. He also mentioned that the band, in his view, was meant to be a spectacle and not necessarily high art.
She will survive!
You’ll survive
Kiss — What clowns and buffoons. Me no like.
We’ll never see you on the list. You can’t even answer a question. CS.
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