Overview
- Jazz ensemble The Cookers backed out of two New Year’s Eve performances with two days’ notice, issuing a statement about artistic freedom as their drummer said the name change “evidently” factored into the decision.
- New York’s Doug Varone and Dancers canceled two April shows, citing the rebrand and estimating a $40,000 loss despite marking the company’s 40th anniversary.
- Folk singer Kristy Lee dropped her Jan. 14 date, saying she would not perform at a venue she believes has compromised its institutional integrity.
- Longtime Christmas Eve host Chuck Redd canceled after seeing the new name on the website and building; center president Richard Grenell has said the institution will seek $1 million in damages after the holidays and called cancellations a political stunt.
- The board voted Dec. 18 to append Trump’s name and updated signage the next day after Trump replaced most trustees and became chair, while Rep. Joyce Beatty’s pending lawsuit argues the renaming violates the Kennedy Center’s 1964 founding law.