Must-See Key Moments from the 2023 Kennedy Center Honors

Meg Ryan gave Billy Crystal a warm greeting (no orgasm this time, however)

Meg Ryan, 62, appeared on stage in front of a replica of the When Harry Met Sally… diner set – yes, the one where she and Crystal shot their infamous “I’ll have what she’s having” scene. “I’m surprised they let me back in the place,” quipped Ryan. “I’ve never met anyone who made faking an orgasm easier. Thank you, Billy,” she joked. “Acting with Billy was effortless, the characters just came alive.”

Whoopi Goldberg, 68, remarked that Crystal played the first openly gay character on a primetime sitcom (Jodie Dallas on the 1970s sitcom Soap). “It hit me: this man is fearless,” she said of her longtime friend. “He never stopped giving. Never forgot his roots. … because of him, I got to host the Oscars.”

Crystal, who has hosted the Academy Awards nine times, “should be given an honorary Oscar for all he has done for the Academy Awards,” said Goldberg quite seriously, with the crowd seemingly in agreement. “I said it. Maybe tonight will convince them.” She added that “the other person who should be standing here is our brother, Robin,” speaking of fellow comedic great Robin Williams, who died in 2014.

(Left to right) Robert De Niro, first lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden

Gail Schulman/CBS; Greg Allen/Invision/AP

Robert De Niro made a statement on age

With a crowd jam-packed with the president, first lady and Washington’s elite, there is bound to be a political message of some sort, and this year was no exception. 2009 Kennedy Center Honoree Robert De Niro, 80, also a part of Crystal’s salute, declared that Crystal has “done so much in a short amount of time." He made Crystal’s jaw drop to the floor when he added, “You’re only 75. That means you’re about six years away from being the perfect age to be elected President.” The comment garnered cheers from the crowd and big laughs and smiles from the president and his wife.

Queen Latifah got a royal welcome

Kerry Washington took to the stage to honor multi-hyphenate Queen Latifah. “She is a revelation, a force … a queen,” said Washington. “Tonight, we will all hail her brilliance.” Born Dana Owens, she chose Queen Latifah as her professional name and was “reborn as royalty,” noted Washington, who “spent many years admiring her, looking up to her example.” Rapper Missy Elliott, 52, recalled being in high school and watching videos of Queen Latifah singing “Ladies First.” She was “changing the narrative,” said Elliott. “She was saying, ‘You will respect me. I won't just set the bar. I am the bar.’"

(Left to right) Sigourney Weaver and honoree Renée Fleming

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Renée Fleming earned kudos for her singing — and acting

Robert De Niro returned to the stage for Fleming, noting the opera singer was “no stranger to this beautiful opera house.” Christine Baranski, 71, spoke of Fleming’s “voice of creamy elegance,” and how she is a “person of great depth and genuine warmth.” Sigourney Weaver, 74, hailed Fleming’s acting chops, and said she is “a woman we recognize as one of us … she always keeps it real.” A quartet of opera singers performed the Fleming classic “Song to the Moon” from Antonín Dvořák’s opera Rusalka to close out the tribute.

(Left to right) Michael Bublé and honoree Barry Gibb

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Michael Bublé honored a dancin’ man who just can’t lose

The show concluded with the tribute for Gibb, who said, in a video clip from a Saturday evening State Department dinner for the honorees, that “this is the most incredible honor of my life, and I know without my brothers I would not be standing here.” (Gibb’s brothers and fellow members of the Bee Gees, Maurice and Robin, passed away in 2003 and 2012 respectively). Country group Little Big Town performed “Lonely Days,” with member Phillip Sweet calling Gibb a “once in a lifetime artist.” Smooth crooner Michael Bublé called Gibb “a hopeless romantic,” and sang the Bee Gees hit “How Can you Mend a Broken Heart.”

“He’s not just a man with a sensitive side but someone with real emotional intelligence,” said Bublé. Beneath a glittering disco ball, Academy Award-winning singer Ariana DeBose closed out the show with a medley of his hits, including “How Deep is Your Love” and “Stayin’ Alive,” calling them “songs that have soundtracked a generation.”