Kennedy Center loses lawsuit against defiant musician who canceled show because of Trump

A judge threw out a Kennedy Center lawsuit against jazz musician Chuck Redd after he canceled a show in protest of Trump's attempt to rename it after himself, according to reports.

The Trump-led Kennedy Center sued Redd for breaching his contract, but D.C. Superior Court Judge Tanya Jones Bosier dismissed the lawsuit on Friday, according to reporting by the Washington Post. Richard Grenell, a Trump ally leading the center's board, threatened him with a $1 million demand last year.

Jones Bosier ruled that Kennedy Center officials failed to prove they had a legally binding agreement with Redd to perform at the venue's Christmas Eve concert last year, according to the Post.

"I could not find a valid breach-of-contract claim here," Jones Bosier said, per the Post. "There's no dispute that he did not sign the 2025 agreement."

Redd told the Kennedy Center he ditched his scheduled performance due to "the defiant and illegal name change happening to the Kennedy Center," according to the Post. A judge's orders are now undoing that renaming.