The Kennedy Center Celebrates the Best of the Arts

Gloria Estefan hosts as the annual celebration of the arts toasts Dick Van Dyke and more

The Kennedy Center Honors still can be surprising—in that some legends of the performing arts haven’t gotten them sooner.

A prime example: Dick Van Dyke, one of the most beloved stars in television history. He’s in this year’s Honors class as CBS broadcasts the 43rd annual ceremony on Sunday, reconfigured for the pandemic age with segments taped in and around the Center in Washington, D.C.

Also being inducted are actress-director-choreographer Debbie Allen, singer-songwriter and activist Joan Baez, country music superstar Garth Brooks and violinist Midori. Past recipient Gloria Estefan serves as host.

A winner of four Primetime Emmys plus a Tony (for Bye Bye Birdie) and a Grammy, the ever-friendly Van Dyke muses that being notified of his Kennedy Center fête “completely escaped my comprehension. It’s just beyond my expectations. I had no idea this was coming.”

While he’s gratified to receive this feather in his cap, the 95-year-old Van Dyke reflects, “I just took jobs as they came. I went from vaudeville to radio to nightclubs to television. I’ve had it all… and how lucky can you get? I’ve been trying to piece together the events of the past 70 years and how I got here!”

The 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors airs Sunday, June 6th at 8 p.m. on CBS