Billy Crystal, Queen Latifah, Barry Gibb Among 2023 Kennedy Center Honorees
The 46th Kennedy Honors will celebrate an immensely varied and talented crew of artists. Among them are comedian/actor Billy Crystal, rapper/actor Queen Latifah, Bee Gees’ leader Barry Gibb, soprano Renée Fleming and singer Dionne Warwick.
With this honor, Crystal joins a small group of comedians who have been recognized with both a Kennedy Center honor and the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement, which includes David Letterman, Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett and Neil Simon.
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Queen Latifah’s presence is particularly poignant as hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary with a host of celebrations; Latifah has long been known as “the First Lady of hip-hop.”
“When we started on this journey decades ago, we were often told ‘No.’ No, you won’t be able to leave New Jersey. No, if you rap you can’t sing. No, singers can’t become actresses. No, actors can’t also produce,” the multi-hyphenate said in a statement. “To now be recognized amongst so many multi-hyphenates feels unbelievable, not for just me and my team, but for our community.”
Gibb said in a statement, “This is a wonderful honor! It’s hard to be proud and humble at the same time. It is one of the most special moments in my life and something that I will always cherish. When I think back over 50 years to our beginnings in Redcliffe, Queensland, I could never have expected this to happen in my life. Receiving the Kennedy Center Honors is something that everyone hopes might happen one day. I’ve often thought about but never dreamed it could come true. Thank you to all those who made this dream a reality. I wish my brothers were here so that they could’ve shared in this special moment.”
Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein noted in a statement the type of trailblazing careers all five artists have had. Fleming has shown “a knack for bringing opera into the mainstream while Barry Gibb “set the music world on fire in the 60s and defined the modern dance era.” And Dionne Warwick has supplied the world with “a trove of hits that has become a soundtrack of inspiration for generations of artists and audiences.” In an interview with Associated Press, Warwick noted she felt “a bit of sadness” to be celebrating without the celebrated songwriting team behind some of her biggest hits, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, who both passed in 2023 and 2012 respectively.
This year’s ceremony will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on December 3rd. 2017 honoree Gloria Estefan will host the show for the third time.
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