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The president of the Kennedy Heart on Friday sharply criticized longtime jazz musician Chuck Redd for canceling his Christmas Eve efficiency days after the White Home introduced that President Donald Trump’s title can be added to the long-lasting performing arts establishment in Washington, D.C.
Kennedy Heart president Richard Grenell mentioned Redd’s choice financially harmed the nonprofit establishment, and he would search $1 million in damages, accusing him of finishing up a “political stunt.”
“Your choice to withdraw on the final second — explicitly in response to the Heart’s recent renaming, which honors President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to avoid wasting this nationwide treasure — is traditional intolerance and really expensive to a non-profit Arts establishment,” Grenell wrote in a letter to Redd, obtained by Fox Information Digital.
Fox Information Digital couldn’t instantly attain Redd for remark.
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Kennedy Heart President Richard Grenell unleashed on Senate Democrats for allegations over his management of the cultural heart and a probe of its funds. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Pictures)
Redd, who has hosted vacation Jazz Jams on the venue since 2006, abruptly canceled his Christmas Eve efficiency after Trump’s title was added to the power.
“Once I noticed the title change on the Kennedy Center web site after which hours afterward the constructing, I selected to cancel our live performance,” Redd advised The Related Press on Wednesday.
On Dec. 18, the Kennedy Heart’s board voted unanimously to rename the establishment the “Trump-Kennedy Heart.”
Employees on a forklift stand close to the letters “The Donald” above the signage on the Kennedy Heart on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photograph)
The replace was instantly criticized by members of the Kennedy household who argued it undermined the legacy of President John F. Kennedy.
Maria Shriver, Kennedy’s niece, reacted harshly to the decision, saying it was “past comprehension.”
A number of artists have canceled performances on the Kennedy Heart since Trump’s return to workplace, together with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who referred to as off a manufacturing of “Hamilton.”
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New signage, The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Heart For The Performing Arts, is unveiled on the Kennedy Heart, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photograph)
Kennedy Heart vice chairman of public relations Roma Daravi advised Fox Information Digital Friday that Redd was politicizing artwork by calling off his efficiency.
“Any artist canceling their present on the Trump Kennedy Heart over political differences isn’t brave or principled—they’re egocentric, illiberal, and have failed to fulfill the essential responsibility of a public artist: to carry out for all individuals,” she mentioned in a press release.
Daravi said that artwork is “a shared cultural expertise meant to unite, not exclude,” calling the venue “a real bipartisan establishment that welcomes artists and patrons from all backgrounds.”
She added that “nice artwork transcends politics,” and that “America’s cultural heart stays dedicated to presenting common programming that evokes and resonates with all audiences.”
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Final week, employees added President Trump’s name to the constructing’s exterior, and the web site header was up to date to learn, “The Trump Kennedy Heart.”
The Related Press contributed to this report.
