The Kennedy Center’s annual Christmas Eve jazz concert was canceled Wednesday after its longtime host declined to perform in protest of the recent changes to the performing arts center’s name.
Chuck Redd, who’s hosted the holiday “Jazz Jams” since 2006, said he made the decision after seeing President Trump’s name added to the building, which was named after former President Kennedy and serves as a living tribute to the assassinated president.
“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd told The Associated Press in an email on Christmas Eve.
Trump’s handpicked board members of the Kennedy Center voted on Dec. 18 to rename the building to honor both presidents, a move that has drawn fierce backlash from Democrats and members of the Kennedy family.
Many experts also contest the legality of the move, noting the building was named by Congress and can only be renamed by the same legislative body.
Despite questions over the move, the performing arts center swiftly began updating its signage, changing its name on the website and, on Friday, adding Trump’s name to the outside of the center.
The building’s facade now reads, “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
The president has instituted a series of changes at Washington’s renowned cultural center since taking office. Earlier this year, he replaced board members appointed by past presidents with his own choices. The board then voted to elect Trump its chair.
The Kennedy Center did not respond to a request for comment early Thursday morning, but its website reflected that the concert had been canceled.
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