AN EXTRAORDINARY GROUP OF RENOWNED ARTISTS SALUTES THIS YEAR’S HONOREES IN “THE 44th ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS,” WEDNESDAY, DEC. 22 ON CBS

2021 Kennedy Center honorees

Standing, left to right: Lorne Michaels, Bette Midler

Sitting, left to right: Justino Díaz, Joni Mitchell, Berry Gordy

Following are honoree, presenter, performer and production credits for THE 44th ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS, an entertainment special to be broadcast Wednesday, Dec. 22 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

WELCOME:	David Letterman Emmy® Award-winning television host, comedian, writer and producer and 2012 Kennedy Center honoree

HONOREE:	Joni Mitchell
	GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and GRAMMY Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and painter

FILM NARRATOR:	Graham Nash GRAMMY Award-winning British-American singer-songwriter and musician

PRESENTERS:	Cameron Crowe Academy Award®-winning director, producer, screenwriter, journalist, author and actor

	Dan Levy Emmy Award-winning Canadian actor, writer, director, comedian, and producer

TRIBUTE PERFORMERS:	Norah Jones (Performs “The Circle Game,” “A Case of You,” “Help Me”) GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist

	Ellie Goulding (Performs “Big Yellow Taxi”) GRAMMY Award-nominated English singer and songwriter

	Brandi Carlile (Performs “River”) GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter and producer

	Herbie Hancock (Performs “Both Sides Now”) GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, GRAMMY Award and Academy Award-winning jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, composer and occasional actor and 2013 Kennedy Center honoree

	Brittany Howard (Performs “Both Sides Now”) GRAMMY Award-winning musician, singer and songwriter

HONOREE:	Justino Díaz Puerto Rican bass-baritone opera singer

FILM NARRATOR:	Chita Rivera Tony® Award-winning actress, singer and dancer, 2002 Kennedy Center honoree; received 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom

PRESENTERS:	Grace Bumbry GRAMMY Award-winning mezzo-soprano/soprano opera singer, 2009 Kennedy Center honoree

	Denyce Graves GRAMMY Award-winning mezzo-soprano opera singer

	Chita Rivera Tony Award-winning actress, singer and dancer, 2002 Kennedy Center honoree; received 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom

TRIBUTE PERFORMERS:	Christian Van Horn (Performs “Votre Toast (Toreador Song),” “Final Scene from Faust”) Bass-baritone opera singer

	Denyce Graves (Performs “Votre Toast (Toreador Song)”) Mezzo-soprano opera singer

	Ariana Wehr (Performs “Votre Toast (Toreador Song)”) Brazilian-born opera singer

	Hannah Shea (Performs “Votre Toast (Toreador Song)”) Mezzo-soprano opera singer

	Ana María Martínez (Performs “Final Scene from Faust”) Latin Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican soprano opera singer

	Matthew Polenzani (Performs “Final Scene from Faust”) Lyric tenor opera singer


HONOREE:	Lorne Michaels Multiple Emmy Award-winning Canadian-American television producer and screenwriter, received 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom

TRIBUTE PARTICIPANTS:	Steve Martin Emmy Award and GRAMMY Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated actor, comedian, writer, producer and musician, and 2007 Kennedy Center honoree

	Kristen Wiig Academy Award and Emmy Award-nominated actress, comedian and writer

	Kate McKinnon Emmy Award-winning actress, comedian and writer

	Seth Meyers Emmy Award-winning comedian, writer, producer, actor and television host

	Kevin Nealon Emmy Award-nominated actor and comedian

	Pete Davidson Comedian, actor, film producer and screenwriter

	Amy Poehler Emmy Award-winning and GRAMMY Award-nominated actress, comedian, writer, producer and director

	Kenan Thompson Emmy Award-winning actor and comedian

	Michael Che Emmy Award-nominated stand-up comedian, actor and writer

	Colin Jost Emmy Award-nominated comedian, actor and writer

	Jimmy Fallon GRAMMY Award and Emmy Award-winning comedian, television host and actor

	Paul Simon (Performs “America”) GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, multiple GRAMMY Award-winning musician, singer and songwriter, and 2002 Kennedy Center honoree

HONOREE:	Bette Midler
	GRAMMY, Emmy and Tony Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, actress and comedian

FILM NARRATOR:	Adele GRAMMY and Academy Award-winning singer, songwriter

PRESENTERS:	Goldie Hawn Academy Award-winning actress, producer, and singer

	Scarlett Johansson Tony Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actress

	Melissa Manchester GRAMMY Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated singer, songwriter and actress

	Barbara Hershey Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actress

TRIBUTE PERFORMERS:	Beanie Feldstein (Performs “Friends”) Film, television and Broadway actress

	Kate Baldwin (Performs “Friends”) Tony Award-nominated singer and actress

	Taylor Trensch (Performs “Friends”) Stage and film actor

	Kelli O’Hara (Performs “Wind Beneath My Wings”) Tony Award-winning and Emmy Award-nominated actress and singer

	Billy Porter (Performs “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Love is On the Way,” “From a Distance”) Emmy Award, GRAMMY Award and Tony Award-winning actor, singer and author


HONOREE:	Berry Gordy GRAMMY Award-nominated former record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer best known as the founder of Motown

FILM NARRATOR:	Oprah Winfrey Emmy Award and Tony Award-winning talk show host, television producer, actress, author and philanthropist and 2010 Kennedy Center honoree

PRESENTERS:	Smokey Robinson GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, record producer and former record executive director, and 2006 Kennedy Center honoree

TRIBUTE PERFORMERS:	Smokey Robinson (Performs “Did You Know”) GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, record producer and former record executive director, and 2006 Kennedy Center honoree

	“Ain’t Too Proud” Broadway Cast (Performs “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”) GRAMMY Award-nominated and Tony Award-winning musical based on the story of the Temptations

	Andra Day (Performs “God Bless the Child”) GRAMMY Award and Academy Award-nominated singer, songwriter and actress

	Stevie Wonder (Performs “Fingertips Pt. 2,” “My Cherie Amour,” “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” “Superstition”) GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, multiple GRAMMY Award and Academy Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician and record producer, and 1999 Kennedy Center honoree

PRODUCED BY:	White Cherry Entertainment

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:	Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss

DIRECTOR:	Glenn Weiss

WRITER:	Dave Boone

SUPERVISING PRODUCER:	Rob Paine

COORDINATING PRODUCER:	Lisa Anderson

PRODUCTION DESIGNER:	Steve Bass

LIGHTING DESIGNER:	Bob Dickinson

MUSIC DIRECTOR:	Rickey Minor

CONDUCTOR:	Patrick Vaccariello