The Governors Awards are always a sought-after ticket for talent campaigning for Academy members’ votes, but this year might have more members clamoring for a seat in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood. This afternoon, The Academy revealed this year’s honorary Oscar winners include Tom Cruise, Debbie Allen, and Wynn Thomas, as well as awarding the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to the legendary Dolly Parton. The ceremony will take place on Nov. 16, 2025, but Tom Cruise and Dolly Parton? Members will be coming out of the woodwork to attend this one.
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In a statement, Academy President Janet Yang noted, “This year’s Governors Awards will celebrate four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting impact. The Academy’s Board of Governors is honored to recognize these brilliant artists. Debbie Allen is a trailblazing choreographer and actor, whose work has captivated generations and crossed genres. Tom Cruise’s incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all. Beloved performer Dolly Parton exemplifies the spirit of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts. And production designer Wynn Thomas has brought some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft.”
Cruise, who is currently on screens in “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” is long overdue for an honorary Oscar despite the fact that he’s only 62 years old. Nominated three times as an actor (“Born on the Fourth of July,” “Jerry Maguire,” “Magnolia”) and once as a producer (“Top Gun: Maverick”), Cruise has one of the longest lists of respected box office hits in modern movie history. Just a few of his credits include “Eye Wide Shut,” “War of the Worlds,” “Edge of Tomorrow,” “The Last Samurai,” “A Few Good Men,” “Collateral,” “Risky Business,” “Magnolia,” “Vanilla Sky,” “Minority Report,” and the entire “Mission” Franchise. He also made a remarkable career comeback after his Oprah couch jumping incident twenty years ago and his association with Scientology over the past three decades.
An American music legend, Dolly Parton is an 11-time Grammy Award winner and Emmy Award winner. Her movie credits include  “Nine to Five,” “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” “Rinestone,” and “Steel Magnolias.” She has earned two Oscar nominations in the Original Song category for “Nine to Five” and for “Travelin’ Thru” from “Transamerica.” Parton’s humanitarian efforts are even more admirable. She has founded various charitable and philanthropic organizations, including the Dollywood Foundation, which was created in 1988 to inspire the children of East Tennessee – her home state – to achieve educational success. Her literacy program, “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,” launched in 1995 in honor of her father, has provided children with 285 million books worldwide. The Academy’s release suspiciously didn’t include Parton’s contribution to funding the speedy development of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Thomas is a legendary production designer whose collaborations with Spike Lee include “Do The Right Thing,” “Malcolm X,” “He Got Game,” “Inside Man,” and “Da 5 Bloods,” among others, contemporary classics. Never once nominated for an Oscar (an embarrassment to the organization), he was the production designer for Best Picture winner “A Beautiful Mind” and nominees “Hidden Figures” and “King Richard.” His other credits include “Mars Attacks!,” “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything,” “Analyze This,” and “Wag the Dog.”
The only questionable choice for a regular honorary Oscar this year is Debbie Allen, a famed choreographer whose contributions to television far outweigh the big screen. Her credits include choreographing the Oscars ceremony seven times, as well as features such as “Forget Paris,” “A Jazzman’s Blues,” and “The Six Triple Eight.” Her producing credits include “Amistad” and “A Star for Rose.” In front of the camera, she is best known for “Fame,” “Ragtime,” and “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling.” Her lengthy television credits include 3 Emmy Awards as well as two honorary Emmys, and four wins in the Outstanding Achievement in Choreography category.
The Academy also makes clear that the Honorary Award is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities.”
The 2025 Governors Awards will be handed out in a non-televised ceremony on Sunday, November 16, 2025, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in the heart of Hollywood.