Gloria Gaynor was among the artists recognized at this year’s unconventional Kennedy Center Honors — and the legendary singer says the recognition left her stunned and overjoyed.
“I was in shock,” Gaynor, 82, recalled of learning that the Kennedy Center board — revamped earlier this year with President Donald Trump’s allies — had selected her for the honor. “I was literally in shock. Are you serious with me?”
She went on, “I mean, really, it’s so wonderful to be counted among all these other great artists, and with all of their accomplishments. I’m blessed.”
The “I Will Survive” icon was the only woman honored this year. She joined a class that included actor and director Sylvester Stallone, Broadway and West End legend Michael Crawford, rock band KISS, and country superstar George Strait.
On the red carpet before the ceremony, Gaynor said it was “wonderful” to visit the White House a day earlier, where the president welcomed this year’s honorees.
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“It was wonderful. It was, I mean, like the third or fourth time meeting him,” the disco star shared. “I’d met him before, and he’s always very personable and very pleasant.”
Gaynor added that Trump didn’t spell out exactly why she was chosen, “just that he, you know, believed that my song had done so much for so many people.”
Over the course of her career, Gaynor has released 20 studio albums and 53 singles. None, however, eclipsed the impact of 1978’s disco classic “I Will Survive,” which has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide and remains one of the best-selling singles in music history.
“When I first read the lyrics, it was an anthem to me because I was in a back brace. I just had surgery on my spine,” Gaynor said of the hit’s origins. “Because it was doing so much for me, encouraging me, I knew that it would do that for anybody that was going through, not just a physical struggle, but any kind of a mental, emotional struggle.”
“I believed that it would help them and spur them on to victory and encourage them to make it through whatever they were struggling with,” she added.
In a May conversation with Metro, months before she was named a Kennedy Center honoree, Gaynor drew attention for her answer to a question about what people misunderstand about her.
“The biggest misconception about me? Hmm,” she said after a long pause. “It may be dangerous to say this, but that I’m a feminist. People say it to me, ‘And since you’re a feminist…’ Um, no. Not really. I love men.”
“I grew up with five brothers, and I love men,” she continued. “I love men who know who they are and are strong enough to take their place but also strong enough to recognize a woman’s strengths and who are able to allow her to exercise those strengths and realize that we are to be partners and not opponents.”
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When the 2025 honorees were announced earlier this year, Trump praised Gaynor as “one of the most revered singers of the American disco era.”
The president is a well-known fan of disco, having requested a performance by the Village People during his inauguration festivities earlier this year after frequently playing “Y.M.C.A.” at campaign rallies and other major events.
“‘I Will Survive’ is an unbelievable song,” Trump said of Gaynor’s 1978 chart-topper. “I’ve heard it, you know, like everyone else here, thousands of times. And it’s one of those few that get better every time you hear it.”
“Nobody can sing it like her. And that’s an honor,” he added. “So, Gloria Gaynor, thank you.”
