Recently, Richard Grenell, the president of the Kennedy Center, didn’t hold back his thoughts on jazz musician Chuck Redd’s decision to cancel an annual Christmas Eve concert. This move came right after they added President Donald Trump’s name to the prestigious Washington, DC, arts venue.
In a sharp letter shared by the Kennedy Center with CNN, Grenell criticized Redd’s actions, commending Trump for his crucial role as the center’s chair — a position earmarked for him by a board he had appointed after overseeing a leadership change.
Grenell wrote, “Your decision to back out at the last moment—specifically in response to the Center’s rebranding that honors President Trump’s significant achievements—shows a level of intolerance that’s detrimental to our nonprofit arts institution.” This letter was printed on fancy letterhead featuring the new “Trump Kennedy Center” logo.
The Associated Press initially reported on this contentious correspondence.
On Wednesday, Redd explained to CNN why he backed out of the long-running holiday concert he’s hosted for nearly twenty years, stating that he felt disheartened upon learning about the name change last week.
He remarked, “Performing at the Kennedy Center has been a key part of my career, and seeing this renaming saddened me.”
Grenell went further, blaming Redd for the financial repercussions of what he termed a political stunt and asserting that the center intends to claim $1 million in damages.
CNN also sought comments from Redd regarding Grenell’s letter.
Roma Daravi, who serves as the vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, agreed with Grenell. She argued that Redd failed his responsibility as a public artist, stating, “A public artist’s fundamental duty is to perform for everyone.”
Daravi added, “Art should bring people together, not drive them apart. The Trump Kennedy Center is designed to be a venue that welcomes a diverse array of artists and fans—great art goes beyond politics, and our goal remains to present programming that engages and inspires all.”
The cancellation of the free ‘Jazz Jam’ concert followed a decision by the Kennedy Center’s board to honor both former President John F. Kennedy and Trump last week.
In the hours s ding the board’s vote, the Kennedy Center swiftly updated its website, and the next day, new signage bearing Trump’s name was affixed to the center’s façade.
This shift triggered a wave of backlash from the Kennedy family, politicians, and patrons, including a lawsuit from a Democratic congresswoman questioning the board’s authority to change the facility’s name, which has been a memorial for the 35th president since 1964.
Even before the renaming, there were growing concerns about declining revenue due to artists and audiences departing for other venues; several notable figures like Issa Rae, Renée Fleming, Shonda Rhimes, and Ben Folds had either stepped down from leadership roles or canceled their events at the Kennedy Center. Jeffrey Seller, known for producing the successful musical ‘Hamilton’, also backed out of his planned show at the venue a while back.
This holiday season has brought challenges too, with weakening ticket sales troubling the ‘Nutcracker’, usually among the center’s most celebrated productions. Reports indicate they sold just about 10,000 seats over seven performances this year, a drop from around 15,000 in previous years. In contrast, this season saw the Kennedy Center giving away nearly five times the amount of complimentary tickets compared to the past four seasons. Unfortunately, the current year’s productions are expected to fall nearly half a million dollars short of achieving their $1.5 million revenue aspirations.
Updates to this story are ongoing.
CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
