Which celebrities are attending Donald Trump’s inauguration?
Donald Trump will be sworn in as US president on 20 January in Washington DC, to being his second stint in the biggest job in politics.
A national holiday thanks to the fact it coincides with Martin Luther King Jr Day, spectators can expect an event full of pomp, pageantry and entertainment.
Donald Trump and his family on inauguration day in 2017
Back at his first inauguration in 2017, Mr Trump appeared to struggle to rustle up celebrity attendees – so who might we see turn up second time around?
Political figures and world leaders
Outgoing president Joe Biden, 82, will attend his successor’s inauguration. It was a pleasantry not performed by Mr Trump during Mr Biden’s inauguration in 2020, which Mr Trump – who claimed the election had been stolen from him – chose to skip.
It’s also traditional for all living former presidents to attend the inauguration, so Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton are all likely to attend. Former first lady, Michelle Obama, however, will not be attending.
Mr Trump has also invited world leaders this year for the first time.
Mr Trump’s new efficiency tsar and the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is attending the event and reportedly will be seated alongside fellow billionaires Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has confirmed his attendance, and says he hopes to “mend any broken fences” with Mr Musk after a recent social media spat between the two.
Elon Musk and Nigel Farage have ‘fences to mend’ following a row on X. Pic: PA
Official acts
The Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee kept its cards close to its chest until just a few days before the inauguration.
Musical performances are a staple of the event, with a marching band, and various inauguration galas throughout the evening. Stars including Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and John Legend have been part of past shows for previous presidents.
This year’s acts have a distinctly Country flavour, with big names including Billy Ray Cyrus and Kid Rock – both of whom endorsed Mr Trump at the 2024 election.
Kid Rock speaking ahead of Donald Trump at the National Guard Association Conference in August. Pic: AP
Rock, 53, whose real name is Robert James Richie, has been a vocal supporter of the Republican Party and the president-elect for many years.
He previously sang ahead of Mr Trump’s speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention in July and joined Mr Trump’s entourage at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event in November.
Billy Ray Cyrus. Pic: AP
Rock will join country singer Cyrus, 63, who is the father of pop star Miley Cyrus – a vocal critic of Mr Trump – at the Make America Great Again Rally at Capital One Arena in Washington on Sunday, along with a choir from Liberty University, which is a private evangelical Christian school in Virginia.
Alongside being Miley’s dad, Billy Ray is most famous for his 1990s country hit Achy Breaky Heart.
Jason Aldean speaking at a Republican rally in October. Pic: AP
They will be joined by country singer Jason Aldean, singer and saxophonist Lee Greenwood and The Village People at The Liberty Ball on Monday night, along with a “surprise musical guest”.
Aldean, 47, is a five-time Grammy nominee and the performer of the controversial country song Try That In A Small Town, which he dedicated to Mr Trump after the attempt on his life in July.
Greenwood sang God Bless The USA at the inauguration eight years ago and was a staple at Trump campaign rallies last year. He has said he’s “excited” to sing for his “friend” Mr Trump “yet again”.
Meanwhile, country group Rascal Flatts will be at the Commander-in-Chief Ball, focused on military service members, with Texas-based singer-songwriter Parker McCollum.
Rascal Flatts frontman Gary LeVox wrote on Instagram that he was “happy and humbled and grateful for the opportunity”. LeVox played at Mr Trump’s first inauguration and promised it will be a “night to remember”, thanking South Dakota governor Kristi Noem in his post.
The Starlight Ball, which focuses on high-worth donors, will feature a performance from Gavin DeGraw, a singer-songwriter best known for the song I Don’t Want To Be, which was used as the theme song for the TV show One Tree Hill.
Carrie Underwood performing in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Pic: AP
Previously confirmed acts include American Idol star Carrie Underwood who is arguably the biggest name on the bill.
The eight-time Grammy winner will sing America The Beautiful alongside the Armed Forces Choir and the US Naval Academy Glee Club shortly before Mr Trump takes the oath of office.
Commenting on her part in the day, Underwood said in a statement: “I love our country and am honoured to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event”. The 41-year-old singer has previously kept her political views private.
Classical singer Christopher Macchio will sing Oh, America! before the vice-presidential oath of office with JD Vance, and will close the ceremony with a rendition of the American National Anthem.
Victor Willis and the Village People perform during the Festival d’ete de Quebec in July 2019. Pic: AP
Victor Willis, frontman of the Village People, previously announced the band had accepted an invitation to perform at the inauguration, telling their fans in a post on Facebook: “We know this won’t make some of you happy to hear, however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics.
“Our song Y.M.C.A. is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost,” he added.
“Therefore, we believe it’s now time to bring the country together with music, which is why Village People will be performing at various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J Trump.”
Willis last month defended Mr Trump’s use of Y.M.C.A. at campaign rallies and denied that the song is a “gay anthem”.
The 1978 disco hit spiked in listenership in November after it secured a spot on Mr Trump’s campaign playlist, according to Sky News’ US partner, NBC News.
Mary Millben on the first day of the Republican National Convention. Pic: Reuters
Who else could be there?
Actor Jon Voight, who was recently appointed as “a special envoy” to Hollywood following the California wildfires and who is a vocal supporter of Mr Trump, spoke at his last inauguration – so it seems possible we could see a repeat performance.
And singer Mary Millben sang the national anthem at both Mr Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally and the Republican National Convention back in July.
One wildcard potential guest could be Kanye West, who has been a vocal supporter of Mr Trump in the past, and who met with him in the Oval Office back in 2018.
When asked earlier this year if he would be voting Republican, West told reporters: “Yeah, of course. It’s Trump all day.”
Jackie Evancho singing at Mr Trump’s first inauguration in 2017
Who performed at Trump’s last inauguration?
Classical singer Jackie Evancho, a former America’s Got Talent contestant, sang the national anthem at Mr Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, calling it a “huge honour” to perform for the president.
But the young star, who has a transgender sister, did later say she was “disappointed” by Mr Trump’s decision to roll back on transgender rights.
Meanwhile, country singer Toby Keith was arguably the biggest name on the bill the first time around. He died from stomach cancer last February.
Other acts who performed in 2017 include The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, rock band 3 Doors Down, DJ Ravidrums and musical group The Piano Guys.
Prime-time TV show?
In 2021, Joe Biden’s inauguration included a prime-time inauguration day TV programme hosted by Tom Hanks.
Celebrating America featured performances from acts including Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake.
It’s not known if a similar programme will be aired following Mr Trump’s inauguration this year.
Thousands of members of actors’ trade union Equity are being asked whether they would support industrial action over artificial intelligence protections.
The organisation has launched an indicative ballot among about 7,000 members working in film and TV.
Performers are being asked whether they are prepared to refuse to be digitally scanned on set in order to secure adequate artificial intelligence protections.
It will be the first time the performing arts and entertainment trade union has asked this whole section of its membership to vote in a ballot.
The Hollywood strikes took place in 2023. File pic: AP
The announcement follows the Hollywood strikes in 2023, when members of Equity’s sister union in the US, SAG-AFTRA, and writers, went on strike over issues including AI.
Video game actors in the US also protested over the use of AI, ending almost a year of industrial action earlier in 2025.
Equity’s ballot opens on Thursday and runs for two weeks, and will show the level of support the union has for action short of a strike.
Another statutory ballot would have to be made before any industrial action is taken.
“While tech companies get away with stealing artists’ likeness or work, and the government and decision makers fret over whether to act, unions including Equity are at the forefront of the fight to ensure working people are protected from artificial intelligence misuse,” Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming said in a statement.
“If bosses can’t ensure someone’s likeness and work won’t be used without their consent, why should performers consent to be digitally scanned in the first place?”
Mr Fleming said the ballot would give members the opportunity to “send a clear message to the industry: that it is a basic right of performers to have autonomy over their own personhood and identity”.
The union has no choice but to recommend members support industrial action, he said.
“It’s time for the bosses to step away from the brink and offer us a package, including on AI protections, which respects our members,” added Mr Fleming.
The hotly anticipated Spotify Wrapped is revealing our top tracks, artists and albums for 2025.
But how does the streaming service calculate personalised summaries of users’ listening habits and rank the UK’s hottest artists?
Here’s a look at how your data is used.
The platform describes the annual statistics as “a chance to look back on your year in sound”.
It says data is captured between January and mid-November on every account, although it mostly excludes anything streamed in private mode. (Don’t worry, your passion for the Spice Girls can be kept secret.)
Wrapped presents personalised listening statistics, which Spotify calls the “real story of your year of listening”, alongside global figures for comparison.
The streaming service says Minutes Listened reflects the actual time spent listening to audio on the platform.
Once a user streams at least 30 tracks, Spotify generates a list of Your Top Songs. Similarly, Your Top Artists ranks artists based on total minutes listening to a particular performer.
Other metrics identify the top genres users have played, as well as podcasts and audiobooks ranked by total minutes listened. And if you’ve listened to at least 70% of tracks on a record, you’ll see top albums too.
Spotify also creates Your Listening Age, a guesstimate of your age based on the era of the music “you feel most connected to”.
The streaming service says the statistic is calculated using a five-year span of music which users engaged with more than other listeners of a similar age.
Spotify has been summing up 2025’s most listened to tracks. Pic: Spotify
Swift vs Bunny
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has been named the UK’s most-streamed artist on Spotify for the third year in a row.
But she dropped out of the top spot in the global rankings, coming second to Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, who secured more than 19.8 billion streams. Third were The Weeknd, followed by Drake and Billie Eilish.
Bad Bunny’s LP Debi Tirar Mas Fotos was the most listened-to album worldwide.
Read more from Sky News:
Sabrina Carpenter fury at video
Drake’s lawsuit dismissed
Spotify hikes UK prices
Spotify revealed Drake was the UK’s second most-listened to artist, followed by Sabrina Carpenter in third, The Weeknd in fourth and Billie Eilish in fifth.
Despite being the most listened-to artist, Swift failed to break into the UK’s top five most listened-to songs and albums of the year.
Alex Warren’s Ordinary was the most-streamed song, and Short ‘N’ Sweet, released by Carpenter last year, the top album.
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