The president of the Kennedy Center is drawing a firm line after what he describes as a costly and intolerant political stunt aimed squarely at President Donald Trump.
Ambassador Richard Grenell announced plans to seek $1 million in damages from jazz musician Chuck Reed, who abruptly canceled his scheduled Dec. 24 Jazz Jam performance in protest of the Kennedy Center’s renaming to the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. The move, Grenell says, wasn’t artistic expression — it was politics, plain and simple.
In a letter sent Sunday, Grenell accused Reed of pulling out at the last minute specifically because the Center now honors President Trump, whose leadership Grenell credited with saving and revitalizing the iconic institution. According to the letter, the cancellation caused significant financial harm to the nonprofit arts center, citing poor ticket sales and a lack of donor support tied to Reed’s performance.
“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,” Grenell wrote. “This is your official notice that we will seek $1 million in damages from you for this political stunt.”
Reed, who has led the Christmas Eve Jazz Jam at the Kennedy Center since 2006, confirmed to the Associated Press that he withdrew specifically because of the renaming. Grenell, however, made clear that the show — and jazz at the Center more broadly — would go on.
In the letter, Grenell noted that Reed’s Christmas Eve performances were already struggling to sell tickets and emphasized that the Kennedy Center will continue hosting jazz performances to sold-out crowds, regardless of artists’ political views. A subtle reminder that talent and professionalism matter more than political grandstanding.
Grenell also criticized what he described as pressure tactics from the left, accusing certain activists of bullying artists into boycotting the nation’s cultural institutions.
“Regrettably, your action surrenders to the sad bullying tactics employed by certain elements on the left, who have sought to intimidate artists into boycotting performances at our national cultural center,” Grenell wrote.
The dispute comes amid a broader effort launched in 2025 by President Trump and Grenell to revamp the Kennedy Center. That initiative has already resulted in a significantly stronger donor response compared to previous administrations. Trump himself joined the Center’s board as chairman in February, signaling a hands-on approach to restoring the institution’s cultural and financial strength.
Neither the Kennedy Center nor Reed immediately responded to requests for comment.
At the heart of the issue is a simple principle: America’s premier cultural institutions shouldn’t be held hostage by political tantrums. With new leadership, renewed donor confidence, and a commitment to excellence over ideology, the Kennedy Center appears poised to thrive — and that’s a win for the arts, the audience, and the country.
