NEWYou can now listen to articles!
A Christmas Eve jazz concert at the Kennedy Center was canceled just days after the White House announced that President Donald Trump’s name would be added to the iconic performing arts institution in Washington, D.C.
The show’s host, musician Chuck Redd, who has led the holiday “Jazz Jams” at the Kennedy Center since 2006, said he called off his performance after Trump’s name was added to the facility.
“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd told the Associated Press.
Digital has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment. The Kennedy Center’s website lists the show as canceled.
ICONIC DC LANDMARK UNVEILS FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE AS PART OF PUSH TO REVIVE HOLIDAY SPIRIT
Workers install Donald J. Trump above the current signage on the Kennedy Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
The Kennedy Center’s board voted unanimously on Dec. 18 to rename the institution the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” prompting swift backlash from members of the Kennedy family who said the decision undermined the legacy of President John F. Kennedy.
Maria Shriver, Kennedy’s niece, criticized the decision, calling it “beyond comprehension.”
Last week, workers added Trump’s name to the outside of the center, and the website’s header was changed to “The Trump Kennedy Center.”
ROSIE O’DONNELL DEMANDS TRUMP’S REMOVAL FROM OFFICE OVER KENNEDY CENTER HONOR IN LATEST TIRADE
Demonstrators hold up signs at a designated protest point in front of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, a day after a Trump-appointed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Another Kennedy niece, Kerry Kennedy, vowed to remove Trump’s name from the building after he leaves office.
President Lyndon Johnson signed a bill in 1964 that designated the center as a living memorial to Kennedy following his assassination in 1963. The law prohibits the board of trustees from making the center into a memorial to anyone else or from putting another person’s name on the building’s exterior, the AP reported.
Trump was elected chairman of the Kennedy Center board in February, after removing 18 trustees appointed by former President Joe Biden.
KENNEDY CENTER SALUTES AMERICA’S MILITARY WITH SOLD-OUT HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR: ‘THE GRATITUDE THEY DESERVE’
New signage, The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, is unveiled on the Kennedy Center, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
Since Trump returned to office on Jan. 20, several artists have canceled performances at the Kennedy Center, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, who called off a production of “Hamilton.”
Redd has toured worldwide and performed with numerous musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, according to his website bio.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE APP
Digital has reached out to Redd for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
