Kennedy Center Honors to be held at Capital One Arena on Dec. 7
Five artists will receive awards at a ceremony moved out of the closed performing arts center following a federal court ruling on the building's name.
By Elijah Fitzgerald ·
The Kennedy Center Honors will take place at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 7, marking the first time the annual tribute has been held at that venue. The ceremony will recognize Paul Anka, David Foster, Andy Garcia, David Mamet and Barbara Mandrell.
The change in location reflects the current status of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which is closed indefinitely for renovations. The board of trustees voted to close the venue immediately on Tuesday, a few hours after a federal judge ruled that the name of President Trump could not be restored to the building's facade. That decision followed a May court order that mandated the removal of Trump's name and blocked a planned two-year closure of the opera house.
The dispute over the name began in December when the board, appointed by Trump, voted to change the institution's name to the Trump Kennedy Center. Trump's name was added to the exterior the following day. In February, the president announced that the center would close in July for two years of renovations. The timeline shifted when the federal judge intervened in May, stopping the closure and ordering the name removed. In mid-September, Trump threatened to demolish the building if his name was not returned.
Trump, who serves as chairman of the center's board, helped select this year's honorees. He hosted last year's ceremony, which celebrated George Strait, the band KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor and Sylvester Stallone. That event was part of a pushback against what he has called woke culture, a departure from his first term when he skipped the ceremony. He is the only president to miss the event twice.
The announcement did not state whether Trump would host the ceremony again this year. As of Monday afternoon, only Mandrell had reacted publicly to the news. She wrote on social media: Receiving the Kennedy Center Honors is one of the greatest honors of my life. Country music has been a gift to me, and I am humbled that the songs and performances we shared continue to mean something to people.
The center's board of trustees voted to close the performing arts venue on Tuesday. The federal judge had ruled earlier that day that Trump's name could not be restored to the facade. The annual tribute, which is the center's most visible event, will now draw attention to the institution while it remains closed for renovations.
