Kennedy Center

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Kennedy Center Layoffs Kick Off Ahead of Shutdown

Arts organization plans to close for two years

(Newser) - The Kennedy Center has started cutting staff as it prepares for a planned two-year shutdown ordered by President Trump, reports the Washington Post . It's not clear how many people received notices, but the newspaper says the number is likely "double digits" across a variety of departments. Among those...

Bill Maher Is Mark Twain Prize Winner, Despite WH Denials

Real Time host to receive Kennedy Center award in June, despite 'fake news' cries from Trump's team

(Newser) - Bill Maher is getting the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor after all, despite the Trump White House insisting just days ago that he wasn't. The Kennedy Center on Thursday named the Real Time host as the 27th recipient of its top comedy honor, confirming a report the Trump...

Lawmaker Asks Judge to Take Trump's Name Off Kennedy Center

Democrat's lawyers say it was an 'abuse of power' to add president's name to building

(Newser) - A Democratic lawmaker is asking a federal judge to force the Kennedy Center to block and reverse efforts to attach President Trump's name to the historic performing arts venue. In a motion filed Wednesday, Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio argues that Congress was clear in its intent that the...

Coalition Sues to Stop Trump's Kennedy Center Overhaul

Lawsuit alleges illegal renovations, environmental and historic protections ignored

(Newser) - Conservationists are asking a judge to hit pause on what they say is a rushed, legally shaky overhaul of the Kennedy Center spearheaded by President Trump, NBC News reports. In a lawsuit filed Monday, eight preservation and environmental groups with more than a million collective members allege Trump and the...

White House Says Bill Maher Will Not Be Given Honor

If the Mark Twain Prize was offered, it apparently was withdrawn quickly

(Newser) - Confusion is swirling around whether Bill Maher is about to receive one of comedy's top honors. The White House on Friday rejected reports that Maher is this year's choice for the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, after two people familiar with the Kennedy Center's plans told...

Kennedy Center Board Backs Trump's 2-Year Shutdown

Members also confirm Matt Floca as new CEO

(Newser) - The Kennedy Center's board of directors voted on Monday to shut down operations for two years after this summer's Fourth of July celebrations. "We're going to ensure it remains the finest performing arts facility of its kind anywhere in the world," Trump told reporters at...

Trump-Appointed Head of Kennedy Center Is Out

Turmoil, artist boycotts marked Richard Grenell's brief tenure

(Newser) - Richard Grenell is leaving the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after a little more than a year as its president, ending a brief and contentious tenure in which the Washington institution has lost performers and audiences. President Trump announced the change Friday on Truth Social, saying Grenell had "...

Kennedy Center Loses Head of National Symphony Orchestra

Jean Davidson mentions 'external forces' at work

(Newser) - The National Symphony Orchestra's top executive is moving on, adding to the upheaval at the Kennedy Center. Jean Davidson, who has headed the NSO since 2023, said she will leave Washington at the end of March to become executive director and CEO of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the...

Kennedy Center Lawsuit Seeks to Block Trump's Remodeling

Filing argues president lacks authority to close and rebuild the landmark

(Newser) - A Democratic lawmaker is asking a judge to hit pause on President Trump's plan for the Kennedy Center to go dark for two years. Rep. Joyce Beatty, a congressional trustee of the performing arts venue, has amended her existing lawsuit—intended to keep his name off the building—to...

Kennedys, Orchestra Respond to Trump's 2-Year Shutdown

Family rips renaming, planned closing

(Newser) - President Trump's plan to shut down Washington's Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for a two-year overhaul has drawn opposition from the namesake's descendants. Several members of the Kennedy family criticized Trump after he announced that the performing arts center will close on July 4 for renovations...

Guardian Corrects Its Melania Review to Make It Even Worse

Paper reveals that critic Xan Brooks awarded the $75M documentary zero stars, not one star

(Newser) - Some movies get a bad review; others, like Melania, get a historical downgrade. The Guardian has corrected its already grim one-star rating of the $75 million documentary on Melania Trump to something even harsher: zero stars. Per the Daily Beast , the paper said in a note posted on Monday that...

Trump: We're Closing Kennedy Center for 2 Years

Trump proposes renovations starting July 4 amid financial, artistic turmoil

(Newser) - President Trump says the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts—which now has his name on the building—will close for two years in July for renovations, reports the Washington Post . In a Truth Social post Sunday, Trump said he plans to temporarily close the federally chartered arts complex starting...

Kennedy Center Programming Chief Resigns After 2 Weeks

Departure follows a wave of artist cancellations after Trump rebranded the center

(Newser) - Kevin Couch's tenure at the Trump-branded Kennedy Center ended almost as soon as it began. The Dallas-based branding executive and live-entertainment programmer resigned less than two weeks after the center publicly touted him as its new senior vice president of artistic programming, the Washington Post reports. Couch, a former...

Philip Glass Pulls Symphony From Kennedy Center

Composer says center's values clash with Lincoln-themed work

(Newser) - Philip Glass has decided his new symphony about Abraham Lincoln won't debut at the Kennedy Center after all. The 88-year-old composer has pulled the planned world premiere of his Symphony No. 15, "Lincoln," from the venue. "The values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct...

Renee Fleming Drops Out of 2 Kennedy Center Concerts
Kennedy Center
Loses an Opera Star
Jan 24, 2026 7:30 AM CST

Kennedy Center Loses an Opera Star

Institution says soprano Renee Fleming is nixing 2 concerts in May due to 'scheduling conflict'

(Newser) - Renee Fleming has quietly disappeared from two upcoming concerts at Washington's Kennedy Center, though the venue isn't saying much on why. The renowned soprano is no longer listed as a soloist for a pair of National Symphony Orchestra performances in May, the center's website shows. The reason...

Washington National Opera Bids Adieu to Kennedy Center

Financial strains are officially cited, though Trump rebrand is suspected to have played a role

(Newser) - Washington's flagship opera company is packing up its scores and leaving the building it has called home for decades, in a break that hints at dollars, politics, and branding. The Washington National Opera said on Friday it will seek an early, "amicable" end to its affiliation with the...

Another Performance Bites the Dust at the Kennedy Center

Banjo king Bela Fleck cites divisiveness after 'highly politicized' institution adds Trump name

(Newser) - Banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck won't be taking the stage at the Kennedy Center next month, saying the venue has become too politically fraught for comfort. The 18-time Grammy winner was slated to perform George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" with the National Symphony Orchestra in February, but the...

Wicked Composer Pulls Out of Kennedy Center Appearance

Stephen Schwartz joins wave of artists protesting the newly Trump-branded venue

(Newser) - Stephen Schwartz has taken his "Defying Gravity" ethos offstage and into Washington. The Wicked composer says he will not appear at the Kennedy Center after its board voted to add President Trump's name to the building, arguing the venue has abandoned the political neutrality it was created to...

Kennedy Center Changed Rules Before Adding Trump's Name

Bylaw revisions sidelined ex officio trustees

(Newser) - The Kennedy Center didn't just vote to add President Trump's name to its facade—it quietly rewrote the rulebook first. In May, the federally chartered arts institution revised its bylaws to say only presidentially appointed trustees could vote or count toward a quorum, sidelining "ex officio" members...

More Kennedy Center Shows Are Canceled After Renaming

Dance troupe calls off April performances, and New Year's Eve jazz is off the schedule

(Newser) - A New York dance troupe has joined the list of performers backing out of appearances at Washington's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since the White House announced plans to put President Trump's name on the building. Doug Varone and Dancers said Monday it was canceling...

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