Tom Hanks, Lily Tomlin, Sting, Al Green, Patricia McBride receive Kennedy Center Honors in DC

President Barack Obama congratulates 2014 Kennedy Center Honors Honorees, singer Al Green, from left, actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks,and ballerina Patricia McBride, during a reception in their honor in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) (The Associated Press)

The Kennedy Center Honors Honorees ballerina Patricia McBride, from left, singer-songwriter Sting, and comedienne Lily Tomlin, laugh during a reception in their honor in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014, hosted by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) (The Associated Press)

President Barack Obama, right and first lady Michelle Obama, and 2014 Kennedy Center Honors recipients comedienne Lily Tomlin, from left, and actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks, applaud during the Kennedy Center Honors Gala at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014. Standing at the back left is Hanks' wife Rita Wilson. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) (The Associated Press)

Tom Hanks and Sting joined Lily Tomlin, singer Al Green and ballerina Patricia McBride in being awarded this year's Kennedy Center Honors for influencing American culture through the arts.

Top performers and power players from Hollywood, Broadway and Washington gathered Sunday to salute them in a gala performance. The show hosted by Stephen Colbert will be broadcast Dec. 30 on CBS.

President Barack Obama saluted the honorees Sunday at the White House before the show. During the East Room reception, Obama invoked John F. Kennedy's appreciation for the role of the arts in the nation, which helped inspire the Kennedy Center's creation as a memorial to the 35th president.