Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell has threatened a $1 million lawsuit against musician Chuck Redd after the jazz artist pulled out as host of the venue’s annual Christmas Eve concert in response to the establishment’s renaming after President Donald Trump.
“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,” the letter, shared with the Associated Press, read.
Grenell continued, “Your dismal ticket sales and lack of donor support, combined with your last-minute cancellation has cost us considerably. This is your official notice that we will seek $1 million in damages from you for this political stunt.”
Redd, a jazz drummer and vibraphonist, has hosted the yearly fete “Jazz Jams” at the historical arts venue since 2006, having taken over duties following former host and jazz bassist Keter Betts’ death. “When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” he told the AP of his decision.
The addition of Trump’s name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — named in honor of the former president, who was assassinated — appears to be in violation of a 1964 statute that prohibits the addition of names on memorials to anyone other than JFK. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), an ex officio board member, filed a lawsuit in federal court Monday seeking a declaration that the name of the arts institution is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and that a board vote last week to change the name is null and void.
Though a renaming of the center may require authorization from Congress, the Trump-led board moved to do so anyway. The Kennedy family deemed the vote an “insult” and “short-sighted action” that is “beyond comprehension.”
Niece Kerry Kennedy wrote, “President Trump and his administration have spent the past year repressing free expression, targeting artists, journalists, and comedians, and erasing the history of Americans whose contributions made our nation better and more just. President Kennedy proudly stood for justice, peace, equality, dignity, diversity, and compassion for those who suffer. President Trump stands in opposition to these values, and his name should not be placed alongside President Kennedy’s.”
Earlier this year, Trump named himself chairman of the Kennedy Center, after he ousted roughly half of the arts organization’s board members who were appointed by Joe Biden. He later tapped his own appointees, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, longtime aide Dan Scavino and Second Lady Usha Vance.
