A controversial decision to rename Washington DC's prestigious performing arts venue has led to a wave of last-minute show cancellations by a handful of relatively obscure performers. The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts was rebranded as The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts on 19 December 2025, following a unanimous vote by its board of trustees.
Artists Withdraw in Protest
In the days following the renaming, several acts scheduled to perform scrapped their plans. The artists who cancelled include the jazz ensemble The Cookers, folk musician Kristy Lee, and jazz musician Chuck Redd. The niche dance company Doug Varone and Dancers also withdrew.
While not all explicitly stated the name change as the sole reason, social media posts and statements pointed to political motivations. 'When American history starts getting treated like something you can ban, erase, rename, or rebrand for somebody else's ego, I can't stand on that stage and sleep right at night,' Kristy Lee posted online. Doug Varone and Dancers stated they could no longer 'ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution.'
Limited Impact and Legal Threats
Despite significant media coverage framing the cancellations as a rebellion, the practical impact on the venue appears minimal. An insider revealed that the affected performers had extremely low ticket sales and registrations. The Cookers, set to play the 500-seat Terrace Theater, had sold only 60 tickets. Chuck Redd's free Millennium Stage show had just 63 registrants.
The combined monthly listenership of the musical acts on Spotify is just over 15,000, a stark contrast to major artists like Miranda Lambert, who has 5.5 million monthly listeners and recently performed at the venue.
Richard Grenell, president of the Trump-Kennedy Centre, responded robustly. He attributed the bookings to the 'previous far left leadership' and suggested the cancellations were politically motivated stunts. Grenell threatened legal action against Chuck Redd for his Christmas Eve cancellation, citing $1 million in damages for the last-minute decision.
Legal and Political Backlash
The renaming itself faces legal challenges. Critics argue that a 1964 act of Congress, which dedicated the building as a living memorial to President Kennedy, requires congressional approval for any name change. Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty of Ohio has sued over the change, calling it a 'flagrant violation' of the law.
The centre's current board, comprised largely of allies of the former president, approved the change. Meanwhile, public reaction on social media is divided, with some supporters dismissing the protesting artists as easily replaceable.
The venue's leadership insists the cancellations are a 'politically-motivated speed bump' and that the show will indeed go on for larger, more mainstream events.
