Overview
- Jazz supergroup The Cookers canceled two New Year’s Eve concerts, with members indicating the name change influenced the decision.
- Doug Varone and Dancers withdrew from April performances, citing the decision to append President Donald Trump’s name to the institution.
- Jazz musician Chuck Redd earlier canceled his Christmas Eve show, after which Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell threatened a $1 million damages claim.
- Grenell has denounced the withdrawals as political acts by artists booked by prior leadership, and officials have not announced legal action against other canceling acts.
- The board voted on Dec. 18 to add Trump’s name, with exterior signage and the website updated the next day, as Rep. Joyce Beatty’s suit to void the change moves forward.