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Paul Anka, Andy Garcia, Barbara Mandrell, David Mamet and David Foster Named Kennedy Center Honorees

The tribute to their lifetime achievement in the performing arts will take place at Washington’s Capital One Arena on Dec. 7

2-minute read

Donna Freydkin,

AARP

Published November 02, 2026

side by side images of Paul Anka, Andy Garcia and Barbara Mandrell

Paul Anka, Andy Garcia and Barbara Mandrell are among the Kennedy Center honorees announced on Nov. 2.

AARP (Getty and Alamy)

Key takeaways

A Kennedy Center Honor recognizes a lifetime of work in the performing arts. The first awards were given in 1978.
This is the first time the ceremony will take place outside the Kennedy Center building.
The Kennedy Center is honoring five artists for the lasting influence of their work on American music, theater and film.

Singer-songwriter Paul Anka, 85, music producer David Foster, 77, actor Andy Garcia, 70, playwright David Mamet, 78, and country singer Barbara Mandrell, 77, will receive the 2026 Kennedy Center Honors, the center announced on Nov. 2.

“We are recognizing amazing artists whose lifelong work has shaped American culture and inspired generations of audiences,” President Donald Trump said in a statement. “We are proud to honor this year’s class and to continue a tradition that has defined the Center for nearly 50 years.”

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The five will be honored on Dec. 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. It’s the first time the ceremony will take place outside the Kennedy Center building. The Kennedy Center Honors began in 1978 to recognize lifetime contributions to the performing arts.

Here are the 2026 Kennedy Center honorees

Paul Anka

Anka, 85, was 16 when he sang his first hit, “Diana,” on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1957. He later wrote the English lyrics to “My Way” for Frank Sinatra. Johnny Carson’s audience knew another Anka composition by heart: the theme to The Tonight Show.

David Foster

Foster, 77, cowrote and produced Chicago’s 1982 No. 1 hit, “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” and has worked with everyone from Madonna to Michael Jackson to Barbra Streisand. He cowrote “I Have Nothing” for Whitney Houston to sing in The Bodyguard. Foster has won 16 Grammys, including record of the year for producing Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You” for the same soundtrack.

Andy Garcia

Garcia, 70, played George Stone in The Untouchables, which fellow honoree David Mamet wrote. He earned a supporting actor Oscar nomination for The Godfather Part III and portrayed Cuban jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval in HBO’s For Love or Country.

David Mamet

Mamet, 78, won the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for drama for Glengarry Glen Ross, his play about real estate salesmen desperate to close a deal. He also wrote the screenplay for the film, which starred Al Pacino and Alec Baldwin. His other plays include American Buffalo and Speed-the-Plow.

Barbara Mandrell

Mandrell, 77, played steel guitar as a kid and toured with Johnny Cash before she had hits of her own, including “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed” and “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool.” In 1981 she became the first artist to win the Country Music Association’s entertainer of the year award two years in a row.

Donna Freydkin has spent 10-plus years interviewing celebrities for major publications, and has written for a variety of outlets such as USA Today, Allure, Yahoo! and CNN covering topics such as films, family and favorite meals.