Tom Cruise reportedly declined an invitation to be part of the first group of Kennedy Center Honorees during President Donald Trump’s second term.
The 63-year-old actor was offered the honor but turned it down due to “scheduling conflicts,” according to several current and former Kennedy Center employees who spoke to The Washington Post on Wednesday, Aug. 13.
A spokesman for Cruise declined to comment to the Post. PEOPLE also reached out to a representative for the actor but did not receive a response.
Earlier this year, Trump, 79, increased efforts to influence the Kennedy Center arts complex. The 2025 class of honorees includes George Strait, KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, and Sylvester Stallone. The ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 7 and will later air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
While unveiling the recipients at the Kennedy Center’s Hall of Nations, Trump said he played a major role in selecting the honorees.
“I would say I was about 98 percent involved. They all went through me,” the president told the Post. “… I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different.”
Cruise is still expected to receive an honorary award for his work in the film industry later this year. In June, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced that he will receive an honorary Oscar at the 2025 Governors Awards on Nov. 16.
Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas will also be honored that night. Dolly Parton is set to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Cruise has earned Oscar nominations for his roles in Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia. He also earned a Best Picture nomination as a producer on Top Gun: Maverick. Earlier this summer, he starred in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and recently finished filming a still-untitled movie directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, which is scheduled for release in October 2026.
After the Paramount and Skydance merger officially closed, David Ellison told reporters that a third Top Gun movie is a top priority. Maverick grossed over $1 billion globally in 2022.
“One of our biggest priorities is restoring Paramount as the No. 1 destination for the most talented artists and filmmakers in the world,” Ellison said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Great filmmakers make great movies.”
