Kennedy Center will close for 2 years for "Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding"

The move comes after musicians Philip Glass and Renée Fleming canceled planned performances there within the past few days, and after the center’s Head Of Programming quit his post after 12 days. There have been near-constant cancellations since Trump began overhauling the center after taking office for the second time about a year ago, with high-profile artists like Shonda Rhimes and Ben Folds resigning from their spots on the board in February 2025. After musician Chuck Redd cancelled a performance there around Christmas, the Kennedy Center threatened to sue him.

As The New York Times points out, there had been talk of renovating the facility before this, but the decision to close the center altogether for two years is a drastic escalation. Trump had previously slapped his name on the front of the building (though legally changing the name requires an act of Congress) and House Republicans had floated the idea of sticking Melania Trump’s name on the opera house. It’s also hard not to think of Trump’s decision to tear down the East Wing of the White House, purportedly to build a new ballroom. As of late January, that construction hadn’t started, and federal judges remained skeptical that it legally could, per CNN.