Kennedy Center president demands $1m from musician who canceled Christmas Eve show

December 27, 2025

TL;DR

Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell is seeking $1m in damages from musician Chuck Redd.
Redd canceled a Christmas Eve performance at the Kennedy Center in response to Donald Trump's name being added to the venue.
Grenell criticized Redd's decision as "classic intolerance" and a costly "political stunt" for the arts institution.
Trump's name was added to the facility by a board appointed after the previous leadership was removed.
Scholars and legal experts suggest the renaming may violate the law that established the center as a memorial to John F. Kennedy.
The law reportedly prohibits the board from making the center a memorial to anyone else or adding another person's name to the exterior.

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