KISS feel "deeply honoured" to be receiving a Kennedy Center Honor

Paul Stanley told TMZ: "From our earliest days, Kiss has embodied the American ideal that all things are possible and that hard work pays off.

"The prestige of the Kennedy Center Honors cannot be overstated and I accept this on behalf of the long legacy of Kiss and all of the band members who helped create our iconic band."

Gene Simmons added: "Kiss is the embodiment of the American dream. We are deeply honoured to receive the Kennedy Center Honor."

Ace Frehley said: "[It is] a dream come true that I never thought would materialise."

Peter Criss simply said: "I feel so blessed. This is the greatest honour of our career."

Despite various members of KISS being critical of President Donald Trump in the past, their remarks don't seem to have had an impact on their selection because the US leader said he was "very involved" in choosing the recipients and turned down some suggestions he didn't personally approve of.

Announcing the recipients this week, he said: "I would say I was about 98 percent involved. They all went through me.

"... I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different."

In a major change to the ceremony - which will take place on 7 December and air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at a later date - the president himself will serve as host.

When he made the announcement at the Kennedy Center's Hall of Nations, where he unveiled five portraits draped in velvet, Trump admitted he himself had long wanted one of the prestigious accolades.

He said: "I waited and waited and waited, and I said, 'The hell with it, I'll become chairman and I'll give myself an honour ... Next year, we'll honour Trump, okay?"

Tom Cruise is believed to have turned down the honour due to scheduling conflicts.