He’s Led the Kennedy Center Christmas Show Since 2006. After the Trump Renaming, They’re Suing Him for $1 Million
For nearly twenty years, Chuck Redd He spent Christmas Eve the same way: onstage at the Kennedy Center, leading the annual Jazz Jam he’s hosted since 2006.
He wasn’t there this year. And now the Kennedy Center wants $1 million for it.
Redd, a 67-year-old jazz drummer and vibraphonist, withdrew from the show after the White House announced that President Trump’s name would be added to the building. The renaming became official on December 19. The show was canceled on Christmas Eve.
“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. “I have been performing at the Kennedy Center since the beginning of my career, and I was saddened to see this name change.”
The response from Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell, a Trump appointee who took over after the previous leadership was ousted, was swift and personal.
Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell presents to President Trump at the Kennedy Center in August 2025. (Official White House Photo: Daniel Torok)
One letter According to information obtained by the Associated Press, Grenell accused Redd of a “political demonstration” and described his decision as “classic intolerance.” He announced that the center would seek compensation of $1 million.
But Grenell didn’t stop there. Mocking Redd’s drawing power, he wrote: “Your dismal ticket sales and lack of donor support, combined with your last-minute cancellation, have cost us quite a bit. This is your official notice that we will be seeking $1 million in damages from you for this political demonstration.” He added: “The most avant-garde and respected artists in your genre will still perform regularly, and unlike you, they will do so to sold-out crowds, regardless of their political leanings.”
Redd’s biography on the Kennedy Center’s own website describes him as “an accomplished performer on both drums and vibraphone” who has shared the stage with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Byrd, and Barney Kessel.
He’s not the first artist to walk away. Issa Rae He withdrew from the venue earlier this year, telling the Daily Beast that it was “a violation of the values of an institution that faithfully celebrates artists from all walks of life.” The others walked away silently.
The renaming itself remains legally controversial. Congress passed a law in 1964 designating the center as a living monument to President Kennedy, and legal experts say any changes would require congressional approval. A Democratic lawmaker filed a lawsuit challenging the move, and Kerry Kennedy vowed to remove Trump’s name from the building after he leaves office.
None of this prevented the removal of the new sign.
The Kennedy Center was built to be a neutral space, a place where art existed outside of politics. Grenell’s letter makes clear that this era is over. Now the question is: Will the artists still continue to appear on stage, or will the stage be canceled one by one?
