Jazz Artist Fights Kennedy Center Lawsuit

0:00On March 27, musician Chuck Redd is fighting back against a lawsuit from the Kennedy Center. The jazz artist canceled his Christmas Eve show there last year in protest of the venue adding President Donald Trump's name. Now, Redd's lawyers have filed a motion in DC Superior Court to dismiss the breach of contract claim, arguing he never signed any agreement to. Perform. They say the unsigned contract proves there was no obligation, but the suit goes deeper. Redd's team calls it an attempt to silence artists who speak out against those in power. The Kennedy Center has not commented on the latest filing. Redd has led holiday jazz jams at the center since 2006, working with legends like Dizzy Gillespie. He pulled the plug right after seeing Trump's name on the website and building, viewing it as a political move by the president's appointees. The center's former president, Richard Grinnell, fired back quickly with a letter slamming the cancellation as intolerance and demanding $1 million in damages.

1:01They sued on March 6, but Grinnell recently stepped down and was replaced by Matt Flokka. With renovations set to close the Kennedy Center this summer for about two years, the case highlights tensions between art, politics, and free. Expression is a heads back to court. That's your update from Entertainment and Celebrity News today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.