A view of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 10, 2026. Artists have cancelled performances at Washington D.C.’s premier performing arts center to protest its renaming to include President Donald Trump.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
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MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
When President Donald Trump was named chairman of the Kennedy Center’s board almost a year ago, in February 2025, backlash from ticket buyers, slated performers, and certain board members — including Shonda Rhimes — was swift.
One of the first performers to cancel was a touring production of the musical Hamilton. In a statement on X in March 2025, producer Jeffrey Seller said he opposed the Trump administration’s ousting of many Democratic board members.
“The recent purge by the Trump Administration of both professional staff and performing arts events at or originally produced by the Kennedy Center flies in the face of everything this national center represents,” wrote Seller.
Actress and writer Issa Rae followed suit with a post on Instagram, cancelling her sold-out March performance.
A slew of additional artists and performance companies canceled after Trump-appointed members of the Kennedy Center’s board voted to rename the center “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” in December. Congress has not yet authorized the name change. Since the power of the venue’s board to rename the center is currently in dispute, NPR continues to refer to the Kennedy Center using its legal name.
Kennedy Center executive director Richard Grenell has responded to many…