A famous Syracuse native has turned down an offer for an award from President Donald Trump, according to a new report.
Trump wanted to honor Tom Cruise at the Kennedy Center Awards, multiple Kennedy Center employees told The Washington Post. Cruise’s team allegedly said he could not attend the upcoming ceremony, which will be hosted by Trump, in December.
Trump announced this year’s honorees on Wednesday, including rock band KISS, theater star Michael Crawford, country legend George Strait, actor Sylvester Stallone, and singer Gloria Gaynor. Trump said he was “98 percent involved” in choosing them for awards.
“I turned down plenty. I had a couple of wokesters,” he claimed at a press conference.
Cruise has not commented publicly on the awards, and has typically avoided politics in his decades-long career.
Cruise, who was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV in Syracuse, N.Y., is one of the biggest movie stars of all time, with roles in films like “Top Gun,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Risky Business,” “A Few Good Men,” “Jack Reacher” and “Minority Report.” He’s won three Golden Globes and been nominated for four Academy Awards (for “Born on the Fourth of July,” “Jerry Maguire,” “Magnolia” and “Top Gun: Maverick”), and will receive an honorary Oscar for his lifetime achievements in November.
His upcoming projects include a SpaceX movie, a new Alejandro G. Iñárritu film, and reported sequels to “Top Gun” and “Edge of Tomorrow.”
Trump installed himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center in February after replacing the arts institution’s board of trustees with his supporters. The center, supported by government money and private donations, features world-renowned performers in theater, music, and more. The Kennedy Center Honors is its biggest event, often with presidents in attendance, though Trump routinely skipped it during his first term.
Trump said Wednesday that he always wanted to receive a Kennedy Center Award.
“Since 1978, the Kennedy Center honors have been among the most prestigious awards in the performing arts. I wanted one, was never able to get one,” he told media. “I would have taken it. I waited and waited and waited and I said ‘to hell with it, I’ll become chairman.’ I will give myself an honor. Next year we’ll honor Trump, okay?”
The 48th Annual Kennedy Center Honors will take place on Dec. 7.
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