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AN EXTRAORDINARY GROUP OF RENOWNED ARTISTS SALUTES THIS YEAR’S HONOREES IN “THE 44th ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS,” WEDNESDAY, DEC. 22 ON CBS

2021 Kennedy Center honorees

Standing, left to right: Lorne Michaels, Bette Midler

Sitting, left to right: Justino Díaz, Joni Mitchell, Berry Gordy

Following are honoree, presenter, performer and production credits for THE 44th ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS, an entertainment special to be broadcast Wednesday, Dec. 22 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

WELCOME:

David Letterman

Emmy® Award-winning television host, comedian, writer and producer and 2012 Kennedy Center honoree

 

 

HONOREE:

Joni Mitchell

 

GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and GRAMMY Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and painter

 

 

FILM NARRATOR:

Graham Nash

GRAMMY Award-winning British-American singer-songwriter and musician

 

 

PRESENTERS:

Cameron Crowe

Academy Award®-winning director, producer, screenwriter, journalist, author and actor

 

 

 

Dan Levy

Emmy Award-winning Canadian actor, writer, director, comedian, and producer

 

 

TRIBUTE PERFORMERS:

Norah Jones (Performs “The Circle Game,” “A Case of You,” “Help Me”)

GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist

 

 

 

Ellie Goulding (Performs “Big Yellow Taxi”)

GRAMMY Award-nominated English singer and songwriter

 

 

 

Brandi Carlile (Performs “River”)

GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter and producer

 

 

 

Herbie Hancock (Performs “Both Sides Now”)

GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, GRAMMY Award and Academy Award-winning jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, composer and occasional actor and 2013 Kennedy Center honoree

 

 

 

Brittany Howard (Performs “Both Sides Now”)

GRAMMY Award-winning musician, singer and songwriter

 

 

HONOREE:

Justino Díaz

Puerto Rican bass-baritone opera singer

 

 

FILM NARRATOR:

Chita Rivera

Tony® Award-winning actress, singer and dancer, 2002 Kennedy Center honoree; received 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom

 

 

PRESENTERS:

Grace Bumbry

GRAMMY Award-winning mezzo-soprano/soprano opera singer, 2009 Kennedy Center honoree

 

 

 

Denyce Graves

GRAMMY Award-winning mezzo-soprano opera singer

 

 

 

Chita Rivera

Tony Award-winning actress, singer and dancer, 2002 Kennedy Center honoree; received 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom

 

 

TRIBUTE PERFORMERS:

Christian Van Horn (Performs “Votre Toast (Toreador Song),” “Final Scene from Faust”)

Bass-baritone opera singer

 

 

 

Denyce Graves (Performs “Votre Toast (Toreador Song)”)

Mezzo-soprano opera singer

 

 

 

Ariana Wehr (Performs “Votre Toast (Toreador Song)”)

Brazilian-born opera singer

 

 

 

Hannah Shea (Performs “Votre Toast (Toreador Song)”)

Mezzo-soprano opera singer

 

 

 

Ana María Martínez (Performs “Final Scene from Faust”)

Latin Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican soprano opera singer

 

 

 

Matthew Polenzani (Performs “Final Scene from Faust”)

Lyric tenor opera singer

 

 

HONOREE:

Lorne Michaels

Multiple Emmy Award-winning Canadian-American television producer and screenwriter, received 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom

 

 

TRIBUTE PARTICIPANTS:

Steve Martin

Emmy Award and GRAMMY Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated actor, comedian, writer, producer and musician, and 2007 Kennedy Center honoree

 

 

 

Kristen Wiig

Academy Award and Emmy Award-nominated actress, comedian and writer

 

 

 

Kate McKinnon

Emmy Award-winning actress, comedian and writer

 

 

 

Seth Meyers

Emmy Award-winning comedian, writer, producer, actor and television host

 

 

 

Kevin Nealon

Emmy Award-nominated actor and comedian

 

 

 

Pete Davidson

Comedian, actor, film producer and screenwriter

 

 

 

Amy Poehler

Emmy Award-winning and GRAMMY Award-nominated actress, comedian, writer, producer and director

 

 

 

Kenan Thompson

Emmy Award-winning actor and comedian

 

 

 

Michael Che

Emmy Award-nominated stand-up comedian, actor and writer

 

 

 

Colin Jost

Emmy Award-nominated comedian, actor and writer

 

 

 

Jimmy Fallon

GRAMMY Award and Emmy Award-winning comedian, television host and actor

 

 

 

Paul Simon (Performs “America”)

GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, multiple GRAMMY Award-winning musician, singer and songwriter, and 2002 Kennedy Center honoree

 

 

HONOREE:

Bette Midler

 

GRAMMY, Emmy and Tony Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, actress and comedian

 

 

FILM NARRATOR:

Adele

GRAMMY and Academy Award-winning singer, songwriter

 

 

PRESENTERS:

Goldie Hawn

Academy Award-winning actress, producer, and singer

 

 

 

Scarlett Johansson

Tony Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actress

 

 

 

Melissa Manchester

GRAMMY Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated singer, songwriter and actress

 

 

 

Barbara Hershey

Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actress

 

 

TRIBUTE PERFORMERS:

Beanie Feldstein (Performs “Friends”)

Film, television and Broadway actress

 

 

 

Kate Baldwin (Performs “Friends”)

Tony Award-nominated singer and actress

 

 

 

Taylor Trensch (Performs “Friends”)

Stage and film actor

 

 

 

Kelli O’Hara (Performs “Wind Beneath My Wings”)

Tony Award-winning and Emmy Award-nominated actress and singer

 

 

 

Billy Porter (Performs “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Love is On the Way,” “From a Distance”)

Emmy Award, GRAMMY Award and Tony Award-winning actor, singer and author

 

 

HONOREE:

Berry Gordy

GRAMMY Award-nominated former record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer best known as the founder of Motown

 

 

FILM NARRATOR:

Oprah Winfrey

Emmy Award and Tony Award-winning talk show host, television producer, actress, author and philanthropist and 2010 Kennedy Center honoree

 

 

PRESENTERS:

Smokey Robinson

GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, record producer and former record executive director, and 2006 Kennedy Center honoree

 

 

TRIBUTE PERFORMERS:

Smokey Robinson (Performs “Did You Know”)

GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, record producer and former record executive director, and 2006 Kennedy Center honoree

 

 

 

Ain’t Too Proud” Broadway Cast (Performs “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”)

GRAMMY Award-nominated and Tony Award-winning musical based on the story of the Temptations

 

 

 

Andra Day (Performs “God Bless the Child”)

GRAMMY Award and Academy Award-nominated singer, songwriter and actress

 

 

 

Stevie Wonder (Performs “Fingertips Pt. 2,” “My Cherie Amour,” “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” “Superstition”)

GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, multiple GRAMMY Award and Academy Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician and record producer, and 1999 Kennedy Center honoree

 

 

PRODUCED BY:

White Cherry Entertainment

 

 

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:

Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss

 

 

DIRECTOR:

Glenn Weiss

 

 

WRITER:

Dave Boone

 

 

SUPERVISING PRODUCER:

Rob Paine

 

 

COORDINATING PRODUCER:

Lisa Anderson

 

 

PRODUCTION DESIGNER:

Steve Bass

 

 

LIGHTING DESIGNER:

Bob Dickinson

 

 

MUSIC DIRECTOR:

Rickey Minor

 

 

CONDUCTOR:

Patrick Vaccariello 

 

RATING: To Be Announced

GENRE: Awards

Photos available at https://www.viacomcbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/shows/the-44th-annual-kennedy-center-honors/photos

Official CBS website: www.cbs.com

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Twitter: @CBS

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* * *

Press Contacts:

Kate Fisher

khfisher@cbs.com

Jordan Kowalski

jordan.kowalski@cbs.com

 

Photo Contact:

Michele Crowe

michele.crowe@cbs.com

 

For the Kennedy Center:

Eileen Andrews

ETAndrews@Kennedy-Center.org