Legendary Artist, Actor, Producer, Author, and Entrepreneur Queen Latifah to Host “The 47th Annual Kennedy Center Honors” to Be Broadcast Sunday, December 22 on CBS

CBS and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced 2023 Kennedy Center Honors recipient, GRAMMY® Award-winning musician, critically acclaimed Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning and Academy Award®-nominated actor and producer Queen Latifah (series star/executive producer of THE EQUALIZER) will host THE 47th ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS, to be broadcast Sunday, December 22 (8:30-11:00 PM, ET, 8:00-10:30 PM, PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs)*. Stream family series and movies now on Paramount+. Try it FREE!

Queen Latifah will host the special for the first time.

Throughout its 46-year history, the annual Honors Gala has become the highlight of the Washington cultural and society calendar. On Sunday, December 8, in a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage, the 47th class of Kennedy Center Honorees will be saluted by today’s leading performers from New York, Hollywood, and the arts capitals of the world. Seated in the Box Tier of the iconic Kennedy Center Opera House, the Honorees will accept the recognition and gratitude of their peers through performances and tributes. As previously announced, the recipients of the 47th Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievement are acclaimed director and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola; the legendary American rock band the Grateful Dead (Mickey Hart, Billy Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Bobby Weir); blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt; jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer Arturo Sandoval; and The Apollo, which will receive a special Honors as a historic American institution. The 47th Kennedy Center Honors Gala concludes with a post-performance party in the Grand Foyer.

The Kennedy Center Honors recognizes and celebrates individuals whose unique contributions have shaped the way we see ourselves, each other and our world. Recipients have each had an impact on the rich tapestry of American life and culture through the performing arts. Whether in music, dance, theater, opera, motion pictures or television, each Kennedy Center Honoree has a unique place in the national consciousness and their influence has inspired audiences from all walks of life. Each year, Honorees are confirmed by the executive committee of the Center’s board of trustees. The Honors are not designated by art form or category of artistic achievement; over the years, the selection process has produced balance among the various arts and artistic disciplines.

THE 47TH ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS will be produced by Done+Dusted for a third year, in association with ROK Productions. The event will be executive produced by David Jammy, Elizabeth Kelly and Jack Sussman. The show will be directed by Alex Rudzinski.

About Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah is a GRAMMY® Award-winning musician, critically acclaimed television and Oscar®-nominated film actress, producer, record label president, author and entrepreneur. Queen Latifah has had amazing success since her career began in Hollywood, becoming the first hip-hop artist to be crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. She received rave reviews, an Academy Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe® nomination, and a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards® nomination for her portrayal of Mama Morton in the feature musical “Chicago.” She also received an Emmy® Award nomination, a Golden Globe® win, and a SAG Award® win for her role in the cable film “Life Support.” Queen Latifah currently stars in and executive produces the CBS series THE EQUALIZER. She most recently received a National Medal of the Arts from the United States government and was a 2023 honoree at THE 46TH ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS.

Making her big screen debut in Spike Lee’s 1991 film “Jungle Fever,” Queen Latifah then starred in “Set It Off” and co-starred with Holly Hunter and Danny DeVito in the critically acclaimed “Living Out Loud.” From 1993-1998, Latifah starred in the network comedy “Living Single.” Following “Chicago,” she starred in and executive-produced the box office hit “Bringing Down the House.” Her additional film credits include “The Secret Life of Bees,” alongside Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Dakota Fanning; Neil Meron and Craig Zadan’s “Hairspray”; “Mad Money,” opposite Diane Keaton and Katie Holmes; “Just Wright”; “Joyful Noise”; “The Last Holiday”; and “Beauty Shop.” She also starred in and executive-produced the cable movie “Life Support” and the cable movie adaptation of “Steel Magnolias.”

In May 2015, Queen Latifah made her way back to the small screen, earning an Emmy Award nomination, Golden Globe nomination and a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for her role in the cable film “Bessie,” which she also produced. Recognition for Queen Latifah’s recording artistry includes six GRAMMY Award nominations, as well as a win for Best Solo Rap Performance in 1994. In 2004, she was nominated for Best Female Rap Solo Performance for “Go Head.” In 2005, she was nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album for The Dana Owens Album, and in 2008 she was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Trav’lin Light.

*Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on-demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live, but will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.