Following are honoree, presenter, performer, and production credits for THE 44th ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS, an entertainment special to be broadcast Wednesday, December 22 @ 9PM, ET/PT, on the CBS Television Network.
WELCOME: David Letterman Emmy® Award-winning television host, comedian, writer and producer and 2012 Kennedy Center honoree
HONOREE: Joni Mitchell GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and GRAMMY Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and painter
FILM NARRATOR: Graham Nash GRAMMY Award-winning British-American singer-songwriter and musician
PRESENTERS: Cameron Crowe Academy Award®-winning director, producer, screenwriter, journalist, author and actor Dan Levy Emmy Award-winning Canadian actor, writer, director, comedian, and producer
TRIBUTE PERFORMERS: Norah Jones (Performs “The Circle Game,” “A Case of You,” “Help Me”) GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist Ellie Goulding (Performs “Big Yellow Taxi”) GRAMMY Award-nominated English singer and songwriter Brandi Carlile (Performs “River”) GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter and producer Herbie Hancock (Performs “Both Sides Now”) GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, GRAMMY Award and Academy Award-winning jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, composer and occasional actor and 2013 Kennedy Center honoree Brittany Howard (Performs “Both Sides Now”) GRAMMY Award-winning musician, singer and songwriter
HONOREE: Justino Díaz Puerto Rican bass-baritone opera singer
FILM NARRATOR: Chita Rivera Tony® Award-winning actress, singer and dancer, 2002 Kennedy Center honoree; received 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom
PRESENTERS: Grace Bumbry GRAMMY Award-winning mezzo-soprano/soprano opera singer, 2009 Kennedy Center honoree Denyce Graves GRAMMY Award-winning mezzo-soprano opera singer Chita Rivera Tony Award-winning actress, singer and dancer, 2002 Kennedy Center honoree; received 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom
TRIBUTE PERFORMERS: Christian Van Horn (Performs “Votre Toast (Toreador Song),” “Final Scene from Faust”) Bass-baritone opera singer Denyce Graves (Performs “Votre Toast (Toreador Song)”) Mezzo-soprano opera singer Ariana Wehr (Performs “Votre Toast (Toreador Song)”) Brazilian-born opera singer Hannah Shea (Performs “Votre Toast (Toreador Song)”) Mezzo-soprano opera singer Ana María Martínez (Performs “Final Scene from Faust”) Latin Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican soprano opera singer Matthew Polenzani (Performs “Final Scene from Faust”) Lyric tenor opera singer
HONOREE: Lorne Michaels Multiple Emmy Award-winning Canadian-American television producer and screenwriter, received 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom
TRIBUTE PARTICIPANTS: Steve Martin Emmy Award and GRAMMY Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated actor, comedian, writer, producer and musician, and 2007 Kennedy Center honoree Kristen Wiig Academy Award and Emmy Award-nominated actress, comedian and writer Kate McKinnon Emmy Award-winning actress, comedian and writer Seth Meyers Emmy Award-winning comedian, writer, producer, actor and television host Kevin Nealon Emmy Award-nominated actor and comedian Pete Davidson Comedian, actor, film producer and screenwriter Amy Poehler Emmy Award-winning and GRAMMY Award-nominated actress, comedian, writer, producer and director Kenan Thompson Emmy Award-winning actor and comedian Michael Che Emmy Award-nominated stand-up comedian, actor and writer Colin Jost Emmy Award-nominated comedian, actor and writer Jimmy Fallon GRAMMY Award and Emmy Award-winning comedian, television host and actor Paul Simon (Performs “America”) GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, multiple GRAMMY Award-winning musician, singer and songwriter, and 2002 Kennedy Center honoree
HONOREE: Bette Midler GRAMMY, Emmy and Tony Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, actress and comedian
FILM NARRATOR: Adele GRAMMY and Academy Award-winning singer, songwriter
PRESENTERS: Goldie Hawn Academy Award-winning actress, producer, and singer Scarlett Johansson Tony Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actress Melissa Manchester GRAMMY Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated singer, songwriter and actress Barbara Hershey Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actress
TRIBUTE PERFORMERS: Beanie Feldstein (Performs “Friends”) Film, television and Broadway actress Kate Baldwin (Performs “Friends”) Tony Award-nominated singer and actress Taylor Trensch (Performs “Friends”) Stage and film actor Kelli O’Hara (Performs “Wind Beneath My Wings”) Tony Award-winning and Emmy Award-nominated actress and singer Billy Porter (Performs “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Love is On the Way,” “From a Distance”) Emmy Award, GRAMMY Award and Tony Award-winning actor, singer and author
HONOREE: Berry Gordy GRAMMY Award-nominated former record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer best known as the founder of Motown
FILM NARRATOR: Oprah Winfrey Emmy Award and Tony Award-winning talk show host, television producer, actress, author and philanthropist and 2010 Kennedy Center honoree
PRESENTERS: Smokey Robinson GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, record producer and former record executive director, and 2006 Kennedy Center honoree
TRIBUTE PERFORMERS: Smokey Robinson (Performs “Did You Know”) GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, record producer and former record executive director, and 2006 Kennedy Center honoree “Ain’t Too Proud” Broadway Cast (Performs “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”) GRAMMY Award-nominated and Tony Award-winning musical based on the story of the Temptations Andra Day (Performs “God Bless the Child”) GRAMMY Award and Academy Award-nominated singer, songwriter and actress Stevie Wonder (Performs “Fingertips Pt. 2,” “My Cherie Amour,” “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” “Superstition”) GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, multiple GRAMMY Award and Academy Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician and record producer, and 1999 Kennedy Center honoree
PRODUCED BY: White Cherry Entertainment
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss
DIRECTOR: Glenn Weiss
WRITER: Dave Boone
SUPERVISING PRODUCER: Rob Paine
COORDINATING PRODUCER: Lisa Anderson
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Steve Bass
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Bob Dickinson
MUSIC DIRECTOR: Rickey Minor
CONDUCTOR: Patrick Vaccariello
RATING: To Be Announced