If protesters have their way this is what the inside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts would look like nightly with the name change.
More performers are canceling appearances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts following the addition of President Donald Trump’s name to the building, with the acclaimed jazz supergroup The Cookers withdrawing from a planned New Year’s Eve concert.
The latest cancellations extend a backlash that began earlier this year. After Trump removed the center’s board and named himself chairman in February, actor Issa Rae and the producers of Hamilton scrapped scheduled engagements, while musicians Ben Folds and Renée Fleming stepped down from advisory roles.
In a statement posted on their website, The Cookers said their decision to cancel A Jazz New Year’s Eve came together quickly and acknowledged the disappointment it may cause ticketholders. While the group did not directly cite the renaming or the Trump administration, they emphasized a desire to perform in spaces that allow audiences to “celebrate the full presence of the music and everyone in it,” reiterating their commitment to bridging divisions rather than deepening them.
One member addressed the issue more bluntly. Saxophonist Billy Harper wrote on the Jazz Stage Facebook page that he would not perform in a venue “bearing a name—and being controlled by a board—that represents overt racism and the deliberate destruction of African American music and culture.” Harper added that both the board and the name reflect values he has long opposed.
The White House says Trump’s handpicked board approved the renaming. Harper countered that the move embodies a mentality he continues to resist.
Trump ally Richard Grenell, installed to lead the Kennedy Center after the previous leadership was forced out, responded on X that artists canceling shows had been booked by “the previous far-left leadership.” In a statement to The Associated Press, Grenell said the last-minute withdrawals show the performers were “unwilling to perform for everyone,” adding that the center has received inquiries from artists who reject political messaging in their work.
It remains unclear whether the Kennedy Center will pursue legal action against The Cookers. Grenell previously said the institution would seek damages after vibraphonist Chuck Redd canceled a Christmas Eve performance in protest of the renaming, calling that withdrawal a “political stunt” and threatening a $1 million claim.
The center was established as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy after his assassination in 1963, with Congress codifying its purpose in law the following year. Legal scholars note that any change to the building’s name would require congressional approval; the statute expressly bars the board from dedicating the center to anyone else or placing another individual’s name on the exterior.
