Kennedy Center honors: Gladys Knight, U2, Amy Grant, George Clooney, Tania León - NPR

Kennedy Center honorees U2 (Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton, The Edge, and Bono), George Clooney, Tania León, Amy Grant, and Gladys Knight. Gail Schulman/CBS hide caption

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Gail Schulman/CBS

Kennedy Center honorees U2 (Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton, The Edge, and Bono), George Clooney, Tania León, Amy Grant, and Gladys Knight.

Gail Schulman/CBS

The stars turned retired successful Washington, D.C. Sunday nighttime for the 45th yearly Kennedy Center Honors. Gladys Knight, Amy Grant, George Clooney, Tania León and U2 were celebrated for their contributions to American culture.

Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Eddie Vedder, Brandi Carlile and a big of others offered praise for the artists astatine the event. President Biden, archetypal woman Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and 2nd man Douglass Emhoff were among those attending the gala.

Nancy Pelosi and her hubby Paul, who was attacked astatine their location a period ago, received a lasting ovation.

President Joe Biden, archetypal woman Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and 2nd man Doug Emhoff be the 45th Kennedy Center Honors astatine the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts successful Washington, D.C. Sunday. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP hide caption

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Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

President Joe Biden, archetypal woman Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and 2nd man Doug Emhoff be the 45th Kennedy Center Honors astatine the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts successful Washington, D.C. Sunday.

Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

The honorees received medallions astatine a State Dept. meal Saturday night, with Garth Brooks hosting and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken serving arsenic honorary chair.

"Ultimately, these artists punctual america of our communal humanity, that nary substance who we are oregon wherever we're from, we tin and we are each moved by the arts," Blinken said.

On the reddish carpet, histrion George Clooney — a large Gladys Knight instrumentality — recalled to NPR a infinitesimal from the meal wherever the honorees received their medallions. "Gladys got up and sang and, you know, conscionable a cappella started to sing. ... The lone happening that was unspeakable was that I had to follow. So there's 300 radical successful the country going, this is transcendent — and I'm similar 'God, this is horrible! I person travel Gladys Knight!"

Seven clip Grammy victor Gladys Knight grew up successful Georgia and started singing gospel arsenic a small girl. She and her member Bubba, sister Brenda and 2 cousins formed the archetypal Pips. The classical Gladys Knight & The Pips was her member Bubba and 2 cousins.

Left to right, backmost row: U2 members Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr., The Edge, and Bono. Front row: Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, George Clooney, and Tania León. Gail Schulman/CBS hide caption

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Gail Schulman/CBS

Left to right, backmost row: U2 members Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr., The Edge, and Bono. Front row: Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, George Clooney, and Tania León.

Gail Schulman/CBS

Clooney mightiness not person Gladys Knight's philharmonic chops but determination was plentifulness of emotion for him arsenic an actor, activist, and person connected Sunday. Don Cheadle praised his philanthropy. Julia Roberts called him a "renaissance man," and Matt Damon ribbed him.

"I cognize a batch of radical deliberation you person movie prima looks, but let's beryllium honest: It takes a colony to benignant a prima into being People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. I've been there. Those experts tin alteration anyone," Damon joked.

Honoree Tania León, a conductor and composer, was 1 of immoderate 300,000 refugees who near Cuba connected the alleged "Freedom Flights" successful 1967. She co-founded the Dance Theatre of Harlem 2 years later. Dancers from the institution and pianist Chloe Flower performed 1 of Tania León's compositions. In 2021, León won the Pulitzer Prize successful Music for her enactment connected Stride, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic.

At the State Dept. meal Leon talked astir calling up her ancestors erstwhile she creates.

"If I'm going to behaviour a performance I say, 'hey, you amended travel with maine due to the fact that this is difficult.' If I'm going to constitute a piece, I telephone connected my ancestors and say, 'you amended assistance maine due to the fact that the deadline is successful 2 weeks," she said.

Six-time Grammy victor Amy Grant is the archetypal Christian popular vocalist to person a Kennedy Center Honor. CeCe and BeBe Winans, on with the Howard Gospel Choir, performed a medley of Grant's songs.

On signifier astatine the Kennedy Center Honors Sunday, near to right: Amanda Shires, Dianne Reeves, Natalie Hemby, Sheryl Crow, Hozier, Brandi Carlile, Jamala, Mickey Guyton, BeBe Winans, Michael W. Smith, Ariana DeBose, and Maren Morris. Mary Kouw/CBS hide caption

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Mary Kouw/CBS

On signifier astatine the Kennedy Center Honors Sunday, near to right: Amanda Shires, Dianne Reeves, Natalie Hemby, Sheryl Crow, Hozier, Brandi Carlile, Jamala, Mickey Guyton, BeBe Winans, Michael W. Smith, Ariana DeBose, and Maren Morris.

Mary Kouw/CBS

And singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile told NPR that 1 of the things she admires astir Grant is however inclusive she is: "The mode that she's travel retired successful enactment of LGBTQIA people, specifically me, has — it can't beryllium casual for her. You know, she has had to person taken a spot of vigor from her evangelical fans and followers. And I person truthful overmuch respect for her perpetually pushing the boundaries of different people's capableness to love."

Many of the Kennedy Center honorees usage their creation and their level to advocator for societal justice. And that is precise overmuch the lawsuit with the Irish set U2, including members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. The set has won 22 Grammys and Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience award.

"Bono has often said that being celebrated is nonsense, personage is nonsense," said histrion Sean Penn. "But it is currency. And the set has spent its currency to amusement the usefulness of creation successful the world."

The Kennedy Center Honors airs connected CBS, and streams connected Paramount+, connected Dec. 28.

The audio and web editions of this communicative were edited by Meghan Collins Sullivan. Ajani Daniel assisted with production.