The controversial moves by President Donald Trump and his allies to reshape the Kennedy Center continue to fuel backlash. In the wake of a possibly illegal change to the organization’s name pushed through by Trump’s hand-picked allies within the center, a growing list of artists have canceled their performances at the center.
Performers cancel holiday and 2026 appearances over Kennedy Center name change
As CNN reported, several artists have pulled out of performances at the Kennedy Center in the aftermath of Trump’s allies adding his name to the institution. Chuck Redd canceled the center’s annual Christmas Eve jazz concert, which he had been scheduled to lead, telling the outlet, “I’ve been performing at the Kennedy Center since the beginning of my career and I was saddened to see this name change.”
Now, two acts scheduled to perform at the Kennedy Center for New Year’s Eve have also canceled their performances. Jazz group the Cookers said in a statement, “With deep regret, we must share that we are unable to perform as planned on New Year’s Eve.” Cookers drummer Billy Hart separately explained that the name change “evidently” factored into their decision, as did a concern for potential backlash over their scheduled performance.
The cancellations have already extended to 2026. The dance company Doug Varone and Dancers called off their April appearances at the center, explaining that “with the latest act of Donald J. Trump renaming the center after himself, we can no longer permit ourselves nor ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution.” Folk singer Kristy Lee announced on social media that she was cancelling a performance previously scheduled for January 14.
“When American history starts getting treated like something you can ban, erase, rename, or rebrand for somebody else’s ego, I can’t stand on that stage and sleep right at night,” Lee said in a lengthy Instagram post.
Despite personal costs, a growing list of critics over Trump’s Kennedy Center moves
The Trump-appointed leadership of the Kennedy Center has responded angrily to the cancellations. Kennedy Center Chairman Richard Grenell labeled the canceled artists “far-left political activists” and criticized their decisions, saying, “Boycotting the arts to show you support the arts is a form of derangement syndrome.” Grenell has also threatened to sue Redd for $1 million over his canceled Christmas Eve performance. Other artists have also noted the financial costs of their decisions.
“I won’t lie to you, canceling shows hurts. This is how I keep the lights on,” Lee said in her social media post. “But losing my integrity would cost me more than any paycheck.” Varone noted that his dance company was losing $40,000 from its cancellation, calling the decision “financially devastating but morally exhilarating.”
The moves by these artists, even at personal cost, represent the latest backlash to Trump’s moves to assert control over the Kennedy Center. Several artists, including Shonda Rhimes, Issa Rae, Ben Folds and Renée Fleming, severed their connections to the Kennedy Center earlier this year after Trump removed Biden appointees from the organization’s board, after which Trump personally assumed the role of center president. Performers such as Gloria Gaynor received backlash from participating in this year’s Kennedy Center Honors, which was micro-managed and hosted by Trump, and received unusually low ratings. The decision by the Trump-stacked board to add his name to the center has received criticism from dissenting board members, legal experts and members of the Kennedy family, and there is even now a satirical website using the TrumpKennedyCenter.org domain to mock Trump.
So far, Trump’s attempts to assert his control over the Kennedy Center have been a fiasco for the president and his allies. Now that Trump’s name has been added to the organization, the backlash is only growing, and more artists will likely avoid the center in protest to these changes.