Singer-songwriter refuses to perform at Trump-Kennedy Center after venue name change.
Kristy Lee announced Monday that she has canceled her scheduled appearance at the Washington arts institution scheduled for Jan. 14, 2026. The move comes just days after President Donald Trump’s name was added to the former John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
“I don’t have much power and I don’t run with the big dogs that do. I’m just a folk singer from Alabama, I make songs for a living,” Lee he wrote on social networks. “Hell, my songs are really just my own journal set to music. They’re not polished or hit songs, but it’s my truth and no one can take it away from me. I’m proud of it.”
“I believe in the power of truth and I believe in the power of people. And I’ll stand by that side forever. I’m not going to lie to you, canceling shows hurts. It’s how I keep the lights on. But losing my integrity would cost me more than any paycheck,” she continued. “When American history starts to be treated as something you can ban, erase, rename or rebrand for someone else’s ego, I can’t stand on that stage and sleep straight at night. America wasn’t made by branding. It was built by people who showed up and did the work. And the people who carry it don’t need their name on it, they just show up. That’s all I do.”
Her post went viral and generated hundreds of thousands of likes, shares and comments. She thanked fans for their support and said she plans to perform virtually at home on January 14 instead.
Congress designated the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1964 as a memorial to JFK, who was assassinated. Last week, the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees — of which Trump is chairman — voted to change its official name to The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
The move was criticized by the Kennedy family and Democratic Legislaturewhich questioned whether the board could legally change the name of a place without the consent of Congress. The Broadway musical “Hamilton” also canceled a performance at the Kennedy Center earlier this year when Trump forced his leadership and took over as chairman of the board.
The naming dispute also came when Trump hosted the “Kennedy Center Honors,” which aired Tuesday night on CBS under his original name. Rock band KISS, stage star Michael Crawford, country legend George Strait, actor Sylvester Stallone and singer Gloria Gaynor were honored in 2025.
“Tell me what you think of my ‘Master of Ceremony’ skills. If they are really good, would you like me to leave the Bureau to make ‘hosting’ a full-time job?” Trump joked, Hon True Social before broadcasting.
In a declarationLee explained on Tuesday that she believes the “effort to impose political branding” on the former Kennedy Center has compromised its original mission to be a nonpartisan national cultural institution that honors “JFK’s belief that the arts are essential to democracy, free speech and the public good.” Lee added that she believes “publicly funded cultural spaces must remain free of political capture, self-promotion or ideological pressure”.
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