Chuck Redd pulls Christmas Eve show after Trump-Kennedy Center rename
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A Christmas Eve jazz concert at the Kennedy Center has been canceled just days after the White House announced President Donald Trump’s name would be added to the iconic performing arts institution in Washington, D.C.
The show’s host, musician Chuck Redd, who has directed the “Jazz Songs” retreat at the Kennedy Center since 2006, said he canceled his performance after Trump’s name was added to the facility.
“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and on the building hours later, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd told The Associated Press.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment. The Kennedy Center’s website states that the show has been cancelled.
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Workers place Donald J. Trump on the existing sign at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
The Kennedy Center’s board of directors voted unanimously on Dec. 18 to change the institution’s name to “Trump-Kennedy Center,” prompting swift backlash from Kennedy family members who said the decision damaged President John F. Kennedy’s legacy.
Kennedy’s niece, Maria Shriver, criticized the decision, calling it “incomprehensible.”
Last week, workers added Trump’s name to the outside of the center and the website’s title was changed to “Trump Kennedy Center.”
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Demonstrators hold signs at a designated protest spot in front of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Performing Arts Center, a day after the Trump-appointed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Another Kennedy nephew, Kerry Kennedy, vowed to remove Trump’s name from the building after he leaves office.
President Lyndon Johnson signed a bill in 1964 that designated the center as a living memorial to Kennedy following his assassination in 1963. The law prohibits trustees from making the center a monument to someone else or putting another person’s name on the building’s exterior, the AP reported.
Trump was elected chairman of the Kennedy Center board in February after firing 18 trustees appointed by former President Joe Biden.
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The new sign, Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, was unveiled at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Friday, December 19, 2025. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
Since Trump returned to office on Jan. 20, many artists have canceled their appearances at the Kennedy Center, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, who canceled his production of “Hamilton.”
According to his website bio, Redd has toured worldwide and performed with numerous musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Redd for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
