Jerry Herman, Bill T. Jones and Oprah Among Kennedy Center Honorees

Tony winners Jerry Herman and Bill T. Jones will receive Kennedy Center Honors in December alongside The Color Purple producer Oprah Winfrey and musicians Paul McCartney and Merle Haggard, according to The Washington Post. The group will be presented medallions by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on December 4, followed by an all-star gala performance (with President and Mrs. Obama in the winners' box) on December 5, which will be recorded to air on CBS on December 28. Now in its 33rd year, the Kennedy Center Honors are a prestigious tribute to artists who have made lifetime contributions to dance, opera, film, television, music and theater.

Herman is the Tony-winning composer of La Cage aux Folles and Hello, Dolly! His other shows include Mame, Mack and Mabel, Milk and Honey, The Grand Tour and Jerry's Girls. Herman received a lifetime achievement Tony Award in 2009. Earlier this year, La Cage became the only musical ever to win Tonys for its original production and two subsequent revivals. "There is nothing like this, because it comes from my country," Herman said of winning the Kennedy Center Honor. "Nothing comes near. It is truly overwhelming."

Jones received Tony Awards for choreographing Spring Awakening and Fela!, which he also directed. He is the co-founder of the esteemed Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. "It is almost like being told you have 11 Tony nominations," he said of the Honors. "I don't take good news well. I have a psychic freeze. 'What—you are talking to me?' I have to retreat and think about it. We are cultural workers and to be seated with the president, I am a product of the United States' cultural environment. I hope the people can see [that] if I am worth it, America is worth it."

Winfrey is best known for her long-running, self-titled talk show, which will begin its final season this month before she departs to launch her own TV network. Her film credits include Beloved and The Color Purple. She also produced the 2005 Broadway musical adaptation of Alice Walker's novel. McCartney was invited to the Honors in 2002, but was unable to attend due to a family obligation. His songs as a member of the Beatles have appeared on the Broadway stage in shows such as Lennon, Rock 'N Roll! The First 5,000 Years, Beatlemania! and the upcoming Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles. Country singer Haggard is a three-time Grammy winner and has landed 38 number one songs during his extensive career.