Several artists have pulled out of planned concerts after Donald Trump’s name was added to The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Chuck Redd, for example, called off his Christmas Eve performance, which he’s hosted annually since 2006. And more recently, The Cookers have backed out of a New Year’s Eve gig.
The Kennedy Center recently added Donald Trump’s name
“With deep regret, we must share that we are unable to perform as planned on New Year’s Eve,” The Cookers said on their official website. “We know this news is disappointing, and we are truly sorry to everyone who made plans.”
“This decision has come together very quickly, and we understand how frustrating last‑minute changes can be,” the jazz band added, before hinting at the reason for their cancelation. “Jazz was born from struggle and from a relentless insistence on freedom.”
Later speaking to The New York Times, the band’s drummer, Billy Hart, said the center’s name change “evidently” played a role in the decision.
The Cookers’ last-minute drop-out from the concert comes after the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees – notably chaired by Trump himself – voted to add the President’s name to the landmark earlier this month. Within hours of the vote, the center updated its website with the new name. And just the following day, new signage was installed on the front of the building.
Since then, a number of artists have canceled their appearances at the center. In addition to The Cookers and Chuck Redd, dance company Doug Varone and Dancers, along with folk singer-songwriter Kristy Lee, canceled their scheduled shows.
Reacting to the cancelations, the center’s president, Richard Grenell, had a lot to say on X. “The artists who are now canceling shows were booked by the previous far-left leadership,” he wrote. “Boycotting the Arts to show you support the Arts is a form of derangement syndrome.”
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NAME CHANGE TO THE CENTER? AND, IS IT FAIR FOR ARTISTS TO PULL OUT OF SHOWS BECAUSE OF THIS?
