2018 Kennedy Center Honorees Include Cher, Reba McEntire and Hamilton

Hamilton star Lin-Manuel Miranda is one of several co-creators of the Broadway musical who will receive a special honor

By Corinne Heller Jul 25, 2018 3:47 PMTags
Cher, Reba McEntireAnthony Harvey/REX/Shutterstock; NINA PROMMER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Raise a glass to freedom, and to Hamilton and to Cher and to Reba McEntire.

It was announced on Wednesday that the pop star, the country singer and the hit Broadway musical's co-creators Lin-Manuel Miranda—its original star, Thomas Kail, Andy Blankenbuehler and Alex Lacamoire are among the recipients of the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors, which recognizes artists for their lifetime contributions to culture and the arts. The Hamilton co-creators' shared honor is a special award that is the first of its kind, as Kennedy Center Honors have traditionally gone to individuals.

Other honorees include composer Philip Glass and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. They will be honored at the Kennedy Center's 41st annual national celebration of the arts on December 2 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where a production of Hamilton is actually currently being staged until September.

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"When I was very young, I saw Dumbo and Cinderella and knew then what I wanted to be and the path my life would take and here I am! I am very grateful to the Kennedy Center," Cher said in a statement released by the Kennedy Center, according to the New York Times.

"I am so honored to be one of this year's #KCHonors recipients along with @cher, Philip Glass, @WayneShorter and an Honors distinction for @HamiltonMusical & its co-creators. Can't wait to see you all in DC!" McEntire tweeted.

"The Cabinet is headed to DC. Honored honored honored," Miranda wrote on Twitter.

It is unclear if President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will attend the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors event. Last year, honorees Lionel RichieNorman Lear, and dancer Carmen de Lavallade said they would boycott the traditional White House reception before the show. The Trumps withdrew from attending the Kennedy Center Honors "to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction" and the White House canceled its reception.

Miranda, Cher and Glass have publicly criticized the president.

"Whether he's there or not, who cares?" Glass told the New York Times. "The show will go on."