LL Cool J Hosts the 42nd Kennedy Center Honors Celebrating 5 New Honorees

LL Cool J
Robert Voets/CBS

The 42nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors will tribute R&B collective Earth, Wind & Fire, actress Sally Field, singer Linda Ronstadt, children’s television program Sesame Street, and conductor and musical visionary Michael Tilson Thomas.

The broadcast, airing Sunday, December 15 on CBS, will be hosted by two-time Grammy Award-winner and 2017 Kennedy Center Honors recipient LL Cool J.

“The Kennedy Center Honors celebrates icons who, through their artistry, have left an indelible stamp on our collective cultural consciousness,” said Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein in a statement.

“Earth, Wind & Fire’s hooks and grooves are the foundation of a seminal style that continues to shape our musical landscape; Sally Field has brought us unforgettable characters, both joyous and poignant, for more than five decades; Linda Ronstadt is the defining voice of a generation, spanning genres, languages and continents; Sesame Street continues to revolutionize how children and adults learn about our world; and Michael Tilson Thomas goes far beyond keeping score – he has shaped American music and musical institutions for the 21st century.”

Courtesy of CBS

In a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House, the 2019 Honorees will be saluted by today’s leading performers from New York, Hollywood and the arts capitals of the world, accepting the recognition and gratitude of their peers through performances and tributes.

The 42nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors, Sunday, December 15, 8/7c, CBS