The president of the Kennedy Center, Richard Grenell, has publicly condemned jazz artist Chuck Redd for his decision to cancel an annual Christmas Eve jazz concert. This cancellation comes in the wake of the addition of President Donald Trump’s name to the Washington, DC, performing arts venue. In a letter shared with CNN, Grenell sharply criticizes Redd's actions, asserting that they reflect a troubling trend of intolerance within the arts community.
In his letter, Grenell praises Trump for his leadership as the center's chairman—an appointment made by a board selected by the president after he removed his predecessor. Grenell states, “Your decision to withdraw at the last moment—explicitly in response to the Center’s recent renaming, which honors President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure—is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution.” This statement was made on letterhead featuring the newly minted “Trump Kennedy Center” logo.
According to Redd, the decision to cancel the holiday jazz concert, which he has hosted for nearly two decades, was made after he learned about the board’s controversial decision to rename the venue last week. “I’ve been performing at the Kennedy Center since the beginning of my career and I was saddened to see this name change,” Redd expressed in an interview with CNN.
Grenell further criticizes Redd for what he terms a "political stunt," claiming that the Kennedy Center will pursue $1 million in damages as a result of the cancelation. CNN has reached out to Redd for further comment regarding Grenell's letter. Additionally, Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, supported Grenell’s stance, arguing that Redd “failed to meet the basic duty of a public artist: to perform for all people.”
Daravi emphasized that “Art is a shared cultural experience meant to unite, not exclude.” She reaffirmed the Kennedy Center's commitment to being a bipartisan institution that welcomes artists from diverse backgrounds. “The Trump Kennedy Center is a true bipartisan institution that welcomes artists and patrons from all backgrounds—great art transcends politics,” she stated.
The cancelation of the holiday “Jazz Jam” show follows a contentious vote by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’s board of trustees to rename the cultural institution in honor of both President Trump and the late Democratic president. Following the vote, the center quickly updated its website and installed new signage that includes Trump’s name, inciting outrage from the Kennedy family, lawmakers, and patrons of the historic center.
The renaming has sparked legal challenges, including a lawsuit from a Democratic congresswoman questioning the board's authority to rename the facility, which was originally designated by Congress in 1964 as a memorial to President Kennedy. Concerns about the financial impact of Trump’s leadership on the Kennedy Center have also emerged, with reports indicating that both artists and audiences are moving to other venues.
Notable figures such as Issa Rae, Renée Fleming, Shonda Rhimes, and Ben Folds have either resigned from their positions or canceled events at the center. Jeffrey Seller, the producer of the acclaimed musical “Hamilton,” also canceled the show’s planned run earlier this year. Additionally, this holiday season has seen lagging ticket sales for “The Nutcracker,” one of the center's most popular events, with approximately 10,000 seats sold compared to around 15,000 seats in previous years.
Internal sales data reviewed by CNN indicates that the Kennedy Center has provided approximately five times more complimentary tickets for performances this year than in the past four years. Furthermore, this year’s production has fallen about half a million dollars short of its $1.5 million budgeted revenue goal.
This ongoing situation continues to unfold, and developments will be closely monitored as the Kennedy Center navigates the challenges posed by its recent changes.