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A Christmas Eve jazz concert at the Kennedy Center was canceled just days after the White House announced that President Donald Trump’s name would be added to the iconic performing arts institution in Washington, DC.
The show’s host, musician Chuck Redd, who has led the holiday “Jazz Jams” 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 hours later at the building, I decided to cancel our concert,” Redd told the Associated Press.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment. The Kennedy Center website lists the show as canceled.
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Workers install Donald J. Trump atop current signage at the Kennedy Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martín/AP Photo)
The Kennedy Center board voted unanimously on December 18 to change the institution’s name to the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” prompting swift backlash from members of the Kennedy family, who said the decision undermined President John F. Kennedy’s legacy.
Maria Shriver, Kennedy’s niece, criticized the decision, calling it “beyond comprehension.”
Last week, workers added Trump’s name to the center’s exterior and the website header was changed to “The Trump Kennedy Center.”
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Protesters hold signs at a designated protest point in front of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, a day after a Trump-appointed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Another Kennedy niece, Kerry Kennedy, has vowed to remove Trump’s name from the building after he leaves office.
President Lyndon Johnson signed a bill in 1964 designating the center as a living memorial to Kennedy after his assassination in 1963. The law prohibits the board of directors from turning the center into a memorial to anyone else or from putting another person’s name on the outside of the building, the AP reported.
Trump was elected chairman of the Kennedy Center board in February, after removing 18 members appointed by former President Joe Biden.
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The new signage, the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, is unveiled at the Kennedy Center, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martín/AP Photo)
Since Trump returned to power on Jan. 20, several artists have canceled performances at the Kennedy Center, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, who canceled a production of “Hamilton.”
Redd has toured around the world and performed with numerous musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, according to his website biography.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Redd for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.