The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is facing one of the most serious crises in its history, as a widening group of artists, performers and cultural organisations cancel appearances in protest over Donald Trump’s takeover of the board and the decision to attach his name to the institution.
What began in February 2025, when Trump assumed the role of chairman of the Kennedy Center board, has accelerated into a full-scale cultural backlash following the December 2025 vote to rename the venue the Donald J. Trump And The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts. Within days of new signage appearing on the building’s exterior, cancellations multiplied across music, theatre, dance and literature.
The Kennedy Center was established in 1971 as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, following legislation passed in 1964 after his assassination. It has long held a unique status as both a federally supported institution and a symbol of artistic independence. For decades, it has balanced government funding with a mission to present work free from partisan influence, a principle now being openly challenged.
Among the highest profile departures was songwriter and composer Ben Folds, who resigned as artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra. Renée Fleming also stepped away from her role as artistic adviser at large, while television producer Shonda Rhimes resigned as treasurer of the board. Each exit removed senior artistic leadership from the institution at a time when stability was already under pressure.
Performers followed quickly. Actor and producer Issa Rae cancelled her sold-out show An Evening With (Me). Jazz musician Chuck Redd withdrew his long-running Christmas Eve concert, a Kennedy Center tradition he had hosted annually since 2006. In response, interim president Richard Grenell reportedly demanded one million dollars in damages, framing the cancellation as a political stunt that caused financial harm.
Veteran jazz band The Cookers cancelled two New Year’s Eve performances. While their statement avoided naming the president directly, it framed jazz as music born from struggle and an insistence on freedom of expression. The band said they could not return to the bandstand until the space could fully celebrate the music and everyone in it.
Folk singer Kristy Lee cancelled her scheduled January appearance, stating that compromising her integrity would cost more than any fee. Lee later said her decision was rooted in concerns about the centre’s institutional integrity and the belief that publicly funded cultural spaces must remain free from political capture or self-promotion.
Dance company Doug Varone And Dancers also withdrew from two April performances, describing the decision as financially devastating but morally exhilarating. The company said it could no longer ask audiences to step inside what it described as a once-great institution.
Beyond individual artists, entire organisations have pulled back. The American College Theatre Festival suspended its 58-year partnership with the Kennedy Center, while the touring production of Hamilton cancelled a scheduled stop. Author Louise Penny cancelled a planned book launch event. Even the Washington National Opera is reportedly exploring alternative venues in Washington, signalling potential long-term consequences.
The impact has been immediate and severe. Ticket sales are reported to have fallen by nearly 50 per cent compared with the previous year, a decline deeper than the downturn experienced after COVID-19 lockdowns. Senior staff departures have followed, including the head of marketing and former board members, further destabilising operations.
Grenell has publicly dismissed the withdrawals, arguing that many of the cancelling artists were booked by previous leadership and accusing them of politicising the arts. However, critics argue that the renaming itself is inherently political, particularly given that the Kennedy Center’s name was established under federal law.
Members of the Kennedy family have condemned the move, noting that the venue was created as a memorial to a fallen president and questioning whether it can be renamed without congressional approval. Legal scholars and lawmakers have echoed those concerns, suggesting the board’s decision may face legislative or judicial challenges.
For now, the cancellations show no sign of slowing. What was once a unifying national cultural institution has become a flashpoint in America’s broader political divide, with artists using absence rather than performance as their form of protest.
Whether the Kennedy Center can recover its standing without reversing course remains uncertain. What is clear is that the name change has transformed the building from a symbol of artistic legacy into a battleground over culture, power and the meaning of public institutions.
Cancelled Performances And Events
Christmas Eve, Chuck Redd Annual Jazz Concert, cancelled
New Year’s Eve, The Cookers, two shows cancelled
January 14, Kristy Lee, cancelled
April 24 and April 25, Doug Varone And Dancers, cancelled
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