Kennedy Center Honors to Proceed Under New Name Amidst Renovations and Controversy

The Kennedy Center Honors will officially be renamed the “Trump Kennedy Center Honors,” according to Richard Grenell, president of the performing arts venue.

In an interview, Grenell stated that while the venue will close this summer for a two-year renovation, the annual honors ceremony will still take place with the new name, Trump Kennedy Center Honors.

“It will definitely go forward,” Grenell said of the honors gala amid the renovation. “It will probably just be in a smaller venue, which just means ticket demand will be even higher.”

Several artists, including Renee Fleming, Philip Glass, and the Washington City Opera, have canceled performances at the performing arts center after Donald Trump gutted the Kennedy Center’s board, installed himself as chairman, and initiated a name change to, “The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

In response to the cancellations, Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi stated, “We have no place for politics in the arts, and those calling for boycotts based on politics are making the wrong decision. We have not cancelled a single show. Leftist activists are pushing artists to cancel but the public wants artists to perform and create—not cancel under pressure from political insiders that benefit from creating division.”

Amid the cancelations, the White House announced plans “to cease Entertainment Operations for an approximately two year period of time” beginning July 4, 2026 for “construction, revitalization and complete rebuilding” at the venue.

The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors featured Sylvester Stallone, Kiss, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford, and George Strait. The broadcast received the lowest viewership in the history of the Kennedy Center Honors.

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