Lead: A Trump-appointed board’s decision to place President Donald Trump’s name on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has prompted a new wave of artist withdrawals, public protests and falling audience numbers at the Washington venue. In late December 2025 several high-profile performers canceled engagements, citing principle or concern for their audiences. The moves follow earlier pushback this year after board changes and have left the Center with a volatile calendar and unresolved legal questions about renaming the federally established memorial.
Key Takeaways
- Multiple artists canceled scheduled performances after the board added President Trump’s name; notable recent withdrawals include jazz group The Cookers and Doug Varone and Dancers.
- Musician Chuck Redd canceled a Christmas Eve show earlier in the week, and cancellations have continued into the new year.
- The Dec. 23, 2025 broadcast of the Kennedy Center Honors drew roughly 35% fewer viewers than the 2024 broadcast, according to reported figures.
- Kennedy Center leadership changes in 2025, including a new board and Richard Grenell’s appointment, preceded the renaming and artist responses.
- Grenell signaled potential legal action, saying he would seek $1 million in damages after prior cancellations; Kennedy Center officials gave no immediate public response on new withdrawals.
- Scholars and legal observers note a 1964 federal law naming the Center as a memorial to John F. Kennedy and say any exterior renaming typically requires congressional action.
Background
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was established as a living memorial to President Kennedy after his 1963 assassination; Congress passed related legislation in 1964 that ties the facility’s status to federal oversight. For decades the Center has functioned as both a national performing arts venue and a symbolic memorial on the National Mall, drawing diverse artists and audiences.
In 2025 the White House and its appointees reconstituted the Kennedy Center board, and that board voted to add President Donald Trump’s name to the building. The move intensified a year already marked by political contention: earlier in 2025 some performers pulled back from roles or advisory positions after the prior board was replaced, and a number of artists publicly criticized the change in direction.
Main Event
In late December 2025 The Cookers, a long-running jazz supergroup, posted notice that they would withdraw from a planned “A Jazz New Year’s Eve” performance. The ensemble framed the choice as emerging quickly and said their priority is a performance environment that “celebrate[s] the full presence of the music and everyone in it,” signaling discomfort with the Center’s current governance and branding.
Shortly afterward Doug Varone and Dancers announced via Instagram that they would cancel an April engagement, saying they “can no longer permit ourselves nor ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution.” The company’s message cited a break with what it described as the Center’s evolving identity under new leadership.
Those decisions followed Chuck Redd’s cancellation of a Christmas Eve show the previous week. Institutional leaders, including Richard Grenell, have responded by accusing cancelling artists of politicizing their bookings and insisting the Kennedy Center remains open to performers who will play for broad audiences.
At the same time the Center is contending with declining ticket interest and a broadcast audience drop: the Dec. 23 Kennedy Center Honors telecast saw about a 35% decline in viewers compared with 2024, a metric cited publicly as evidence of shifting public engagement since the renaming.
Analysis & Implications
The rapid string of cancellations highlights how politicizing cultural institutions can ripple across programming, fundraising and audience confidence. For performing artists and presenters, a venue’s perceived alignment with a political figure can alter booking decisions and audience willingness to attend, affecting earned revenue and future touring plans.
Legally and institutionally, the situation raises questions about authority and process. Scholars point to the 1964 statute establishing the Kennedy Center as a memorial to President Kennedy and note that modifying exterior commemorative naming often involves Congress. If the board acted without clear statutory authority, stakeholders and legislators may face pressure to clarify or contest the change.
Financially, reduced ticket sales and lower broadcast viewership can compound budgetary strain for a nonprofit arts institution, potentially affecting staff, outreach and the Center’s ability to underwrite high-cost productions. Donors and corporate partners may reassess support, and insurance or contractual liabilities tied to cancellations could become a new source of contention.
Comparison & Data
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 (reported) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennedy Center Honors TV viewership | Baseline (100%) | ~65% | ~-35% |
The available public numbers center on the televised Honors audience, which is reported to be down about 35% year over year for the Dec. 23 broadcast. Ticketing officials have described ticket sales as declining without releasing precise public tallies; that softening appears to coincide with heightened public debate and artist withdrawals, though causality can be multifaceted.
Reactions & Quotes
The responses have been sharply divided between artists who choose to step away and officials defending the board’s actions. Performers framed their decisions as ethical or audience-centered, while leadership framed cancellations as political refusals to perform for all citizens.
The Cookers said they want “the room…to celebrate the full presence of the music and everyone in it,” and emphasized a commitment to music that “reaches across divisions rather than deepening them.”
The Cookers (ensemble statement)
“I would never even consider performing in a venue bearing a name (and being controlled by the kind of board) that represents overt racism and deliberate destruction of African American music and culture,” saxophonist Billy Harper wrote, linking his stance to deep concerns about the institution’s direction.
Billy Harper (social media post)
Richard Grenell argued the cancellations proved some artists were “always unwilling to perform for everyone,” saying the Center had received inquiries from performers “willing to perform for everyone and who reject political statements in their artistry.”
Richard Grenell (Kennedy Center director)
Unconfirmed
- Whether the board possessed the unambiguous legal authority to add a living president’s name to the exterior of the federally designated memorial remains legally contested and subject to further review.
- Claims that all recent bookings were arranged by a “far left” prior leadership are asserted by officials but not independently verified in available reporting.
- It is unclear whether the Kennedy Center will pursue legal action against the latest artists who canceled; no formal filing had been announced as of the latest reports.
Bottom Line
The Kennedy Center’s renaming has transformed a cultural institution into a flashpoint of political and legal debate, prompting prominent artists to cancel performances and contributing to audience disengagement for some events. The incident underscores how symbolic acts at major public cultural sites can have immediate programming and reputational consequences.
Looking ahead, the dispute is likely to move into legal and legislative arenas as scholars, legislators and stakeholders assess statutory authority and appropriate procedures for altering a federally designated memorial. For audiences and artists, the near-term outlook will hinge on whether the Center’s leadership, Congress or the courts settle questions of naming authority and whether programming can stabilize to restore broad-based participation.
Sources
- NPR — news report summarizing recent cancellations and reactions.
- Associated Press — news agency reporting on cancellations, ratings and statements (news reporting and wire coverage).
- The White House — official statements regarding the administration’s appointments and board actions (official source).