Following Donald Trump‘s rebranding of the Kennedy Center earlier this month, Alabama folk singer Kristy Lee has canceled her performance. Her spokesperson affirmed that “institutional integrity” was the reason behind her cancellation. And now, more performers are pulling out of their shows.
The Cookers, a six-piece jazz group, has decided to follow in the footsteps of Lee. “Jazz was born from struggle and from a relentless insistence on freedom: freedom of thought, of expression, and of the full human voice,” they wrote on their website.
“Some of us have been making this music for many decades, and that history still shapes us. We are not turning away from our audience, and do want to make sure that when we do return to the bandstand, the room is able to celebrate the full presence of the music and everyone in it,” added The Cookers in their statement.
Trump can slap his name on the building, but he can’t force artists to show up and clap.
The Trump-branded Kennedy Center is bleeding artists.
The Cookers, a veteran all-star jazz septet, just pulled their NYE shows. Chuck Redd’s annual Christmas Eve jazz concert is gone too.… pic.twitter.com/Tq9lXUAtXT
— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) December 30, 2025
Although they have not clearly disclosed the reason behind their cancellation, it appears to be related to Donald Trump’s rebranding. Drummer Billy Hart told The New York Times that the president’s renaming of the Washington, D.C. memorial as the Trump-Kennedy Center is “evidently” a factor behind The Crooker’s show cancellation.
Not just them. Doug Varone and Dancers, a New York-based dance company, has also decided to cancel two of their shows, which were earlier scheduled for April. On Monday, Varone announced that they would lose $40,000 as a result of the cancellation. “It is financially devastating but morally exhilarating,” Varone told The New York Times.
Previously, Kristy Lee, who was set to perform at the center on January 14, also canceled her show. She wrote on Facebook, “I believe in the power of truth, and I believe in the power of people. And I’m gonna stand on that side forever. I won’t lie to you, canceling shows hurts. This is how I keep the lights on. But losing my integrity would cost me more than any paycheck.”
“When American history starts getting treated like something you can ban, erase, rename, or rebrand for somebody else’s ego, I can’t stand on that stage and sleep right at night,” the folk singer wrote.
The artists who are now canceling shows were booked by the previous far left leadership.
Their actions prove that the previous team was more concerned about booking far left political activists rather than artists willing to perform for everyone regardless of their political…
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) December 30, 2025
Another performer told NOTUS, “The Kennedy Center is supposed to be a memorial, focusing on being nonpartisan. A place where people, it doesn’t matter what party they believe in, should be performing and experiencing the arts together regardless of what their party is. And it has not become that.”
The President of the Trump-Kennedy Center, Richard Grenell, criticized the artists on X (formerly Twitter). “The artists who are now canceling shows were booked by the previous far-left leadership. Their actions prove that the previous team was more concerned about booking far-left political activists rather than artists willing to perform for everyone regardless of their political beliefs,” Grenell wrote. He added, “Boycotting the Arts to show you support the Arts is a form of derangement syndrome.”
