On December 2, 2018, Reba McEntire will join a list of exceptional artists as a Kennedy Center Honors recipient. The honor is one that the country icon doesn’t take for granted, especially having witnessed the ceremony up close several times over.
“The Kennedy Center Honors is a huge thrill for me. I have been a part of that show for helping four honorees getting honored, Dolly [Parton], Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett and Loretta Lynn. So to get to be a part of that behind the scenes all that many times was a lot of fun for me, and now to be honored, it is the icing on the cake,” Reba shared at a press conference backstage at the CMA Country Christmas taping.
“[It’s based on] everything you do in the entertainment business and your personal life, but philanthropic, what you do and help out people, it puts all that together and says, ‘Way to go,’” she continued. “So it’s a huge thrill for me to be a part of that list of people who have been honored in the past.”
In addition to Reba’s honor, fellow honorees in 2018 include Cher, pianist Philip Glass, jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter, co-creators of Hamilton—writer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Thomas Kail, choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, and music director Alex Lacamoire.
The star-studded celebration will be held on Sunday, Dec. 2 at the Washington D.C. Opera House and broadcast on CBS on Wednesday, Dec. 26 at 8 p.m. EST.
