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Donald Trump has made the Kennedy Center one of his pet projects since beginning his second term in January 2025; he purged the board of trustees, installed himself as chairman, and backed new bylaws, paving the way for new “non-woke” programming and a fresh, legally dubious rebrand as “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” He also reimagined the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors by personally involving himself in the ceremony — not only hand-selecting this year’s honorees, but also serving as the emcee.
Numerous artists have responded to Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center by canceling scheduled appearances at the venue. Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz, who was set to host the 2026 Washington National Opera Gala, said the Kennedy Center “no longer represents the apolitical place for free artistic expression it was founded to be.”
So far, more than 10 artists have pulled out of their Kennedy Center engagements, and more are sure to follow. Below, you can find an updated list of those cancelations.
In a post to social media, Kennedy Center president Ric Grenell said “the artists who are now canceling shows were booked by the previous far left leadership. Their actions prove that the previous team was more concerned about booking far left political activists rather than artists willing to perform for everyone regardless of their political beliefs.”
Artists Who’ve Canceled Shows At the Kennedy Center Since Trump’s Takeover
— Hamilton: a touring production of the Broadway musical canceled its run at the Kennedy scheduled between March 3rd and April 26th.
— Chuck Redd: the leader of the Kennedy Center’s annual “Jazz Jams” Christmas concert since 2006 canceled the 2025 staging of the show. Kennedy Center leadership is now seeking $1 million in damages from Redd.
— The Cookers: the jazz supergroup canceled a pair of shows scheduled for New Year’s Eve 2026.
— Stephen Schwartz: the Wicked composer withdrew as host of the Washington National Opera Gala set for May 16th, 2026. A representative for the Kennedy Center denied that Schwartz was ever officially booked for the gig, even though tickets listing his name were for sale on the center’s website.
— Issa Rae: the Insecure star canceled a sold-out March 16th, 2025 stop of her “An Evening With Issa Rae” tour at the Kennedy Center.
— Rhiannon Giddens: the Grammy-winning musician canceled a May 11th, 2025 concert at the Kennedy Center.
— Low Cut Connie: the Philadelphia rockers called off a February 2025 performance at the Kennedy Center.
— Peter Wolf: the artist canceled a book launch event set at the Kennedy Center in March 2024.
— Kristy Lee: the country singer has canceled a concert scheduled for January 14th, 2026 at the Kennedy Center.
— Doug Varone and Dancers: the dance troupe will no longer perform at the Kennedy Center in April 2026.
— Balún: the electronic indie band canceled a February 2024 concert at the Kennedy Center.
— Amanda Rheaume: the Canadian musician scrapped an April 2024 concert at the Kennedy Center.
Additionally…
— Renée Fleming and Ben Folds stepped down as artistic advisors as the Kennedy Center, while Shonda Rhimes resigned from the center’s board of trustees.
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