The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is one of the top institutions of its sort in the world, but there has been turbulence afoot since the rise of President Donald Trump. After the Kennedy Center board of trustees voted to add Trump’s name to the building and defied a federal statute, several artists have backed out of performing there, including an anticipated New Year’s Eve concert.
Earlier in the month, the center’s board moved to rename the building the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. The decision has been met with criticism, with several artists declining to perform under the center’s new banner due to a misalignment with President Trump.
According to a Washington Post report, jazz group The Cookers canceled their Wednesday (January 31) A Jazz New Year’s Eve shows. This adds to others, such as Doug Varone and Chuck Redd, who also canceled upcoming performances at the center.
Dancers, a troupe that had a pair of shows scheduled for April, stated on social media why they decided to no longer go forward with their performances.
From Instagram:
It was an honor to be invited to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in April 2026. It would have been a fitting tribute to the company’s 40th year. While we totally disagreed with the takeover by the Trump Administration at the Kennedy Center, we still believed it was important to honor our engagement out of respect for both Jane Raleigh and Alicia Adams, who curated a first-rate dance season, as well as for the dance audiences in DC. However, 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. The Kennedy Center was named in honor of our 35th President who fervently believed that the arts were the beating heart of our nation, as well as an integral part of international diplomacy. We hope in three-year’s time, that the Center and its reputation will return to that glory.
The aforementioned Redd is an accomplished pianist who cancelled his Christmas Eve concert over similar concerns as did singer Kristy Lee, who was slated to perform at the center in January.
Just over a week ago, Rep. Joyce Beatty, a member of the center’s board of trustees, filed a lawsuit declaring that the renaming of the center is unlawful, stating that she was frozen out of the vote and silenced by her colleagues.
On X, folks are reacting to the cancellations of artists who are doing so in protest of President Donald Trump’s renaming of the Kennedy Center. Check out those reactions below.
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Photo: Getty
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