Tom Cruise reportedly said no to a top honor from President Donald Trump.
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The 63-year-old veteran actor and filmmaker was allegedly set to be part of the first group of Kennedy Center Honorees during President Trump’s second term.
The Top Gun star ultimately turned down the opportunity, citing “scheduling conflicts,” according to multiple current and former Kennedy Center employees who spoke to The Washington Post on Wednesday.
A Cruise spokesperson declined to provide a comment to the Post.
George Strait, KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, and Sylvester Stallone have been announced as the 2025 class of honorees. The ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 7 and will be broadcast on CBS, with streaming available on Paramount+.
Trump stated he was “very involved” in selecting the recipients at the Kennedy Center’s Hall of Nations.
“I would say I was about 98 percent involved. They all went through me,” the president explained, per the Post. “I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different.”
Tom Cruise Allegedly Turning Down Trump’s Award Follows News of an Upcoming Honorary Oscar
Meanwhile, Tom Cruise is set to be honored with an honorary Oscar in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the film industry. In June, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced that Cruise will receive this prestigious award at the 2025 Governors Awards, scheduled for Nov. 16.
Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas will be recognized during the event, while Dolly Parton will be honored with the prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Of course, Cruise is an Oscar-nominated actor for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia. He also received a Best Picture nomination as producer of Top Gun: Maverick. He recently starred in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and has an upcoming Alejandro G. Iñárritu film set to release in October 2026.