Kennedy Center Pursues Damages from Musician Over Concert Cancellation

Tue Feb 03 2026 03:00:27 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. is seeking $1 million from musician Chuck Redd after he cancelled his Christmas concert due to a controversial renaming of the venue.

The Kennedy Center has filed a demand for $1 million in damages against musician Chuck Redd after he canceled his annual Christmas Eve concert. The cancellation followed the decision to rename the venue to include President Trump's name, which Redd deemed unacceptable. Trump allies, now on the center's board, claim the cancellation is a political stunt that has financially harmed the center and its mission.

The head of the Kennedy Center in Washington DC has demanded $1 million (£740,000) in damages from a musician who cancelled a concert after President Donald Trump's name was added to the venue.

Chuck Redd called off his Christmas Eve performance, which he has hosted annually since 2006, citing a vote by the board to rename the site the Trump Kennedy Center.

In his letter, Richard Grenell stated that the cancellation was a 'political stunt' and 'has cost us considerably'. Redd did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shortly after taking office, Trump fired several of the board members, replacing them with allies, who then voted to make Trump chairman of the board.

Grenell wrote in his letter to Redd that his no-show 'is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution'. He added: 'Your dismal ticket sales and lack of donor support, combined with your last-minute cancellation has cost us considerably. This is your official notice that we will seek $1 million in damages from you for this political stunt.'

Last week, the White House announced that the center's board had voted unanimously to rename the cultural institution as The Donald J Trump and John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.

Crews were soon seen etching the president's name on the building's façade, with its website and some social media accounts also changed. The White House stated that the renaming was in recognition of Trump's actions to renovate the building, a move criticized by Democrats, various artists, and members of the Kennedy family.

'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, a drummer and vibraphone player, told the Associated Press.

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio, has recently filed a lawsuit to remove Trump's name from the center, arguing that such a name change should require 'an act of Congress' as the center was established by a 1964 law. Beatty stated that she was muted during discussions about the name change, despite being a legislatively appointed board member.

The Kennedy Center has historical significance, having been turned into a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy following his assassination in 1963.