Overview
- Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell sent jazz musician Chuck Redd a letter saying the venue will seek $1 million in damages after Redd canceled the long-running Christmas Eve Jazz Jam.
- Redd said he withdrew after seeing the center update its website and then its façade to include Donald Trump’s name following last week’s trustee vote.
- Grenell called the cancellation “classic intolerance” and blamed Redd for financial harm to the nonprofit, while a Kennedy Center spokesperson accused boycotting artists of politicizing art.
- The renaming—implemented online and on exterior signage on Dec. 19—faces a federal challenge from Rep. Joyce Beatty, and legal scholars say a 1964 law bars adding another person’s name to the memorial.
- Artists and producers have distanced themselves from the venue in recent months, and internal data reviewed by CNN show lagging ticket sales for key programs such as The Nutcracker this season.