Overview
- The Kennedy Center’s board renamed the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center in mid-December and installed new, pro-Trump leadership.
- The jazz group The Cookers canceled their December 31 concert, citing jazz’s roots in struggle and freedom in a statement to fans.
- Doug Varone and Dancers withdrew from an April 2026 engagement, saying they could not ask their audience to attend after the renaming.
- Institution president Richard Grenell denounced canceling performers as political militants on X and, in a letter reported by U.S. media, demanded $1 million from drummer Chuck Redd.
- Programming has shifted as drag and LGBT+-focused events were dropped while religious-right conferences and Christian artists were welcomed, drawing criticism from the Kennedy family and Democratic politicians.