Kiss Receive Kennedy Center Honor Medals From Donald Trump At The White House

Kiss have officially joined the ranks of Kennedy Center honourees, with the surviving members of the original lineup receiving their medals during a ceremony inside the Oval Office on December 6th.

U.S. president Donald Trump presented the awards, marking a rare moment where one of rock’s most theatrical bands took centre stage in Washington’s most formal room.

This year’s honourees also included Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait and Michael Crawford, Trump described the 2025 group as “perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center honorees ever assembled.”

Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss were all present for the ceremony, while Monique Frehley accepted the medal on behalf of her father, the late Ace Frehley. Before presenting the medals, Trump called KISS an “incredible rock band” and acknowledged Ace, “who now is resting in peace,” adding that the guitarist’s “beautiful daughter is here to accept the award.”

Ace’s posthumous honour places him among only a handful of artists to receive the recognition after passing, following Glenn Frey of Eagles and Phil Lesh of Grateful Dead.

When Ace passed earlier this year, Simmons shared a heartfelt message reflecting on both the loss and the significance of the Kennedy Center recognition: “Our hearts are broken. Ace has passed on… No one can touch Ace’s legacy… Ace was the eternal rock soldier. Long may his legacy live on!”

Deeply Honoured

The announcement of Kiss’s honour came back in August, where Simmons told TMZ: “KISS is the embodiment of the American Dream. We are deeply honored to receive the Kennedy Center Honor.” Stanley echoed the sentiment, saying the award reflects “the long legacy of kiss and all of the band members who helped create our iconic band.” Frehley himself had previously described the honour as “a dream come true that I never thought would materialize.” Criss called it simply: “the greatest honor of our career.”

The recognition arrives during a complicated chapter in the Kennedy Center’s political history, with Trump previously skipping ceremonies during his first term before later reshaping the institution’s leadership. Ace Frehley’s past comments about Trump resurfaced after the ceremony, including his 2020 description of Trump as “the strongest leader that we’ve got.”