Gloria Gaynor named to get the most 'prestigious' award

Gloria Gaynor is among the list of celebrities who U.S. President Donald Trump named as the recipients of the Kennedy Centre Honors after his shake-up in the institution as the new chairman of the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts.

Along with the disco singer Sylvester Stallone, the rock band Kiss, Michael Crawford, and George Strait were included to receive the most prestigious award in the U.S. arts.

For the 81-year-old, who is best known for I Will Survive, this recognition would cement her cultural influence on the national level, after previously she did not get any such award despite winning a Grammy.

Meanwhile, the U.S. president, in a conversation with the press, said he was “98 per cent involved” in the selection process of the Kennedy Centre honorees. “I had a couple wokesters. No, these are great people. It’s very different than it used to be,” the 79-year-old noted.

Earlier, Trump ordered a revamp of the centre, which saw old faces on the board being fired and replaced with newer ones, including Susie Wiles, his chief of staff; Second Lady Usha Vance; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s wife, Allison; and Fox News hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham.  

CBS Network will air the 48th annual Kennedy Centre Honors, and it will stream on Paramount+.