The Kennedy Center on Nov. 2 named singer-songwriter Paul Anka, composer David Foster, actor Andy Garcia, playwright David Mamet and country singer Barbara Mandrell as this year’s Kennedy Center Honors class. The group will be celebrated at the 49th Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 7 at Washington’s Capital One Arena, marking the first time the ceremony will be held outside the Kennedy Center.
2026 Kennedy Center Honorees List
- Paul Anka: Singer-songwriter recognized for a career spanning nearly seven decades, including “Diana,” which topped the charts in 1957, and “My Way,” which he wrote for Frank Sinatra.
- David Foster: Composer, producer and 16-time Grammy winner credited with helping launch the careers of Celine Dion and Michael Bublé.
- Andy Garcia: Oscar-nominated actor honored for a film career that includes “The Godfather Part III” and “Ocean’s Eleven.”
- David Mamet: Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, screenwriter, director and author known for “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “Oleanna.”
- Barbara Mandrell: Country Music Hall of Fame member recognized for No. 1 hits including “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed” and “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right.”
Records and Firsts
This marks the 49th Kennedy Center Honors, and the first to leave home. Every ceremony since the honors began in 1978 has been staged in the Kennedy Center’s 2,347-seat Opera House, but the center is currently closed. Capital One Arena, home of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals, holds roughly 20,000 people, giving this year’s show a far bigger room. For more on the season’s biggest stories, check out our latest entertainment news.
How to Watch and What’s Next
A host and broadcast partner have not been announced. That’s a break from tradition: CBS carried the honors every year from the first ceremony in 1978 through last year’s telecast, and the network’s contract has since ended, leaving this year’s television coverage undecided.
Fans looking to watch the 2026 ceremony will need to wait for broadcast details as the Dec. 7 date approaches.
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