Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick, and the Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb were among the 2023 Kennedy Center honorees at a ceremony that took place on December 3. Now, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has shared footage from the show. The ceremony in Washington, D.C., hosted this year by 2017 honoree Gloria Estefan, honors exceptional lifetime contributions to the arts. Those paying tribute included Missy Elliott, Chloe Bailey, and Gladys Knight, to an audience that counted the president and first lady among its number. Rounding out this year’s awards class were Billy Crystal and opera singer Renée Fleming. Watch performances and excerpts below.
Missy Elliott sang Queen Latifah’s praises in a speech touching on her childhood exposure to Latifah’s music, before Rapsody covered “Just Another Day.…” “What Latifah has taught us,” Elliott said, “is unity, to believe in yourself, and to love a Black woman from infinity to infinity.” Watch the full speech below.
Chloe Bailey, Cynthia Erivo, and Gladys Knight all sang songs from Warwick’s storied discography, while Saturday Night Live’s Ego Nwodim and 2020 honoree Debbie Allen gave speeches in the soul legend’s honor. Bailey performed “Walk On By,” Erivo sang “Alfie,” and Knight picked out “Say a Little Prayer.”
Gibb’s tribute included a Michael Bublé version of “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?” and Little Big Town’s take on “Lonely Days, Lonely Nights.” Ben Platt sang “Nights on Broadway” and Ariana DeBose performed a medley of the Bee Gees’ hits, such as “How Deep Is Your Love” and “Stayin’ Alive.”
Fleming, meanwhile, was honored by Dove Cameron with a rendition of the musical number “The Light in the Piazza,” plus a joint performance of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” from Carousel, by Tituss Burgess, Christine Baranski, and the Jubilation Choir.
“Receiving the Kennedy Center Honors is something that everyone hopes might happen one day. I’ve often thought about but never dreamed it could come true,” Gibb said in a previous statement. In her statement about receiving the honor, Queen Latifah said, “When we started on this journey decades ago, we were often told ‘No’…. To now be recognized amongst so many multi-hyphenates feels unbelievable, not for just me and my team, but for our community.”