Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell has accused CNN and The Washington Post of emailing booked artists and urging them to boycott performances after the center announced plans to add Donald Trump’s name to its memorial. Grenell made the claim on X but provided no evidence. Several performers, including jazz group The Cookers and drummer Chuck Redd, canceled shows; Grenell called the withdrawals a 'political stunt' and demanded $1 million in damages. The episode underscores tensions over the center's leadership and the politicization of cultural institutions.
Kennedy Center Chief Alleges CNN, Washington Post Urged Performers to Boycott 'Trump‑Kennedy Center' — No Evidence Presented
Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell has accused major news organizations of contacting booked artists and encouraging them to boycott performances after the institution moved to add former president Donald Trump’s name to its federally protected memorial.
Grenell, who became chair after a board overhaul led by President Trump earlier this year, made the claim on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, saying some artists told him they were receiving emails from CNN and The Washington Post urging them to cancel engagements. He offered no evidence to support the allegation.
Grenell's statement: 'I have just been informed by some booked artists that they are receiving emails from @CNN and @washingtonpost encouraging them to boycott the Trump Kennedy Center. The legacy media are left wing activists – and they are open about it,' he wrote.
A day earlier, Grenell accused The New York Times of 'celebrating people boycotting the Arts.' Those comments come amid growing dissent from performers who say the Kennedy Center's leadership has been politicized since Mr. Trump appointed a slate of loyalists to the board in February; the board subsequently named Grenell chair and announced it had unanimously approved adding Trump’s name to the memorial.
The controversy has already affected programming. Jazz supergroup The Cookers pulled out of two New Year’s Eve concerts, and drummer Chuck Redd canceled a separate Christmas Eve performance. In response, Grenell demanded $1 million in damages and dismissed the cancellations as a 'political stunt.'
What’s clear — and what isn’t: Several artists have canceled performances tied to the row over the new name, but Grenell has not provided public evidence that CNN, The Washington Post or other outlets sent emails encouraging boycotts. News organizations named in his post did not immediately confirm the claim.
The dispute highlights escalating tensions among the Kennedy Center's new leadership, performers and national media over whether a federally protected cultural institution should be publicly associated with a sitting president — and whether coverage of that decision is crossing into activism.
