Kennedy Center ordered to pay over $250K US to jazz musician who cancelled over Trump rebrand

Centre’s breach of contract suit against the musician was thrown out in June

A Washington judge has ordered the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to pay jazz musician Chuck Redd more than $250,000 US in legal fees.

The ruling comes just months after that same judge, Tanya Jones Bosier of the District of Columbia Superior Court, tossed the centre’s lawsuit accusing Redd of breach of contract.

In 2025, Redd, an American drummer and vibraphonist whose legal name is Charles, backed out of his longtime role as host of the centre’s annual free Christmas Eve concert — in response to the centre’s controversial decision to add Donald Trump’s name to the building’s white marble portico.

"No citizen should have to spend time and money fending off baseless and politically motivated lawsuits filed by the Trump Administration," Redd’s lawyer Lisa J. Banks told CBC News in a statement.

Redd has hosted and performed at the centre’s annual free Christmas Eve concerts for years. But last year, he dropped out of the planned gig days in advance after Trump's name was fixed onto the facade of the building.

After he cancelled, the centre __threatened to sue Redd __ writing, "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," and noting they'd seek $1 million US in damages, calling it a "legal stunt."

The centre followed through — though that suit was later dismissed by the Washington judge on the grounds the centre had failed to state a valid breach of contract claim, per legal documents reviewed by CBC News.

What went down

A U.S. federal judge ruled in May that Trump's name had been illegally added to the Kennedy Center.

That ruling stems from an ongoing conflict kicked off when Trump took control of the centre, firing longtime Kennedy Center chair David Rubinstein in February.

"I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture," Trump said in a social media post at the time.

Since the change, several figures in arts and culture have dissociated from the centre or cancelled planned appearances, including Canadian Author Louise Penny, Shonda Rimes and Issa Rae.

The letters spelling out Trump's name on the facade of the Kennedy Center are gone now, the centre confirmed in June. Though at the time, a tarp continued to hang over the scaffolding constructed for workers, making it impossible to immediately detect whether the only words remaining were "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts."

WATCH | Workers take off Trump's name:Centre plans to appeal

A spokesperson for The Kennedy Center told CBC News in an email that the centre intends to appeal the decision. Meanwhile, Redd’s lawyers called the judge's decision "appropriate."

"The Trump-controlled Kennedy Center tried to silence opposition to its illegal name change by filing a meritless lawsuit against jazz musician Chuck Redd."

The Washington institution hosts more than 2,000 events annually and is the official residence of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera.

With files from Chris Iorfida and The Associated Press