The president of the Kennedy Center, Richard Grenell, is demanding $1 million in damages from Chuck Redd after the jazz musician canceled his scheduled Christmas Eve performance at the venue.
The cancellation came shortly after the center’s board voted unanimously on December 18 to rename the institution the “Trump-Kennedy Center” in honor of President Donald Trump’s efforts to support the arts.
Grenell accused Redd of engaging in a “political stunt” that inflicted financial harm on the nonprofit organization.
In a letter obtained by Fox News, Grenell wrote, “Your decision to withdraw at the last moment — explicitly in response to the Center’s recent renaming, which honors President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure — is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution.”
Redd, who has hosted holiday Jazz Jams at the Kennedy Center since 2006, confirmed his decision in a statement to The Associated Press, saying, “When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert.”
Fox News reports:
Kennedy Center vice president of public relations Roma Daravi told Fox News Digital Friday that Redd was politicizing art by calling off his performance.
“Any artist canceling their show at the Trump Kennedy Center over political differences isn’t courageous or principled—they are selfish, intolerant, and have failed to meet the basic duty of a public artist: to perform for all people,” she said in a statement.
Daravi stated that art is “a shared cultural experience meant to unite, not exclude,” calling the venue “a true bipartisan institution that welcomes artists and patrons from all backgrounds.”
She added that “great art transcends politics,” and that “America’s cultural center remains committed to presenting popular programming that inspires and resonates with all audiences.”
This incident is part of a broader backlash, with several other artists canceling performances since Trump’s return to office, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, who pulled a production of “Hamilton.”
Members of the Kennedy family, including Maria Shriver, niece of President John F. Kennedy, have harshly criticized the name change, calling it “beyond comprehension” and arguing it undermines John F. Kennedy’s legacy.
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