MULTIPLE GRAMMY(R) AWARD-WINNING SINGER-SONGWRITER AND ACTRESS GLORIA ESTEFAN RETURNS TO HOST "THE 43rd ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS," SUNDAY, JUNE 6 ON CBS

Debbie Allen, Joan Baez, Garth Brooks, Midori, and Dick Van Dyke to Receive Kennedy Center Honors in Recognition of Lifetime Artistic Achievement

CBS presents THE 43rd ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS, hosted by multiple GRAMMY(R) Award-winning singer-songwriter and actress Gloria Estefan, broadcasting Sunday, June 6 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on the CBS app and Paramount+. This will be Estefan's second time hosting the special after previously hosting in 2018. She received a Kennedy Center Honors in 2017.

"After the challenging events of the past year, who better to bring us all together, help us take a collective deep breath, and celebrate the amazing artistry of our superstar slate of Kennedy Center Honorees than Gloria Estefan," said Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music, Live Events and Alternative Programming, CBS Entertainment.

International superstar Gloria Estefan is a GRAMMY(R) Award-winning singer-songwriter, actress, author, philanthropist, and humanitarian. In 2017, Estefan was the first Cuban American singer-songwriter to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. She has received seven GRAMMY(R) Awards, an Oscar nomination, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement, an induction into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame, an Ellis Island Medal of Honor and a National Artistic Achievement Award from the U.S. Congress. In 2016, President Obama honored Emilio and Gloria Estefan with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor presented to individuals who have made meritorious contributions to the United States, world peace and cultural endeavors.

"On Your Feet! The Musical," the Tony Award(R)-nominated Broadway musical based on the lives and music of Emilio and Gloria Estefan and executive produced by the pair, is the story of two people who, through an unwavering dedication to one another and their pursuit of the American dream, showcased their talent, music and heritage to the world in a remarkable rise to global superstardom. Since the show's opening in November 2015, "On Your Feet! The Musical" has received rave critical reviews and nominations for Tony Awards(R), Outer Critics Circle Awards and Drama League Awards, and is now on tour around the world.

Recently, Estefan released her new album Brazil305, which topped the charts around the world. Also, she is host of the critically acclaimed Facebook Watch series "Red Table Talk: The Estefans," which premiered in fall 2020 and has been renewed for 12 new episodes that are set to release later this year. Estefan voiced a character in the animated film "Vivo," written by Lin Manuel Miranda, that will be released later this year, and has signed on to play a role in the new "Father of the Bride" film opposite Andy Garcia. Estefan is the founder of the Gloria Estefan Foundation, whose mission is to support charitable programs for disadvantaged children and empower young people through education and opportunity. The foundation also supports spinal cord research through the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

CBS has broadcast the special every year since its debut 43 years ago. Traditionally held in early December, last year's Kennedy Center Honors special was postponed until May 2021 due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABOUT THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS

The Honors recipients recognized for their contributions to American culture through the performing arts - whether in music, dance, theater, opera, motion pictures or television - are confirmed by the Executive Committee of the Center's Board of Trustees. The primary criterion in the selection process is excellence. The Honors are not designated by art form or category of artistic achievement; the selection process, over the years, has produced balance among the various arts and artistic disciplines. The Honoree selection process includes solicitation of recommendations from the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, the artistic community, and the general public, and the final slate is confirmed by the Executive Committee of the Center's Board of Trustees.

This year's selected Honorees were chosen based on the recommendation of the Center's Special Honors Advisory Committee, which is chaired by David Bohnett and includes David M. Rubenstein, Deborah F. Rutter, Michael Lombardo, Cappy McGarr, Daryl Roth, and Shonda Rhimes, along with past Honors recipients and distinguished artists Julie Andrews, Gloria Estefan, Herbie Hancock, Judith Jamison, and John Williams. These individuals play a critical role in the evaluation and selection process, and the Kennedy Center is indebted to them for their involvement.

Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment will executive produce the special for the sixth consecutive year. Weiss returns as director. The Kennedy Center Honors Founding Producer is George Stevens, Jr.

RATING: To Be Announced