WASHINGTON, D.C. NEWS – Rhiannon Giddens calls off her performance at the Kennedy Center in protest of Donald Trump

Smiling young woman with blonde hair in front of a textured wall. Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

The Award-winning singer and musician Rhiannon Giddens has become the latest artist to cancel her appearance at the Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center has been in upheaval since Donald Trump forced out the leadership of the center and was elected as the chair of the board of trustees. Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center is part of his board and sweeping campaign against “woke culture. In a statement, the singer and musician said, “I have decided to cancel my show at The Kennedy Center on May 11, 2025, and move it to The Anthem. Her statement went on to say, “The Kennedy Center show was booked long before the current administration decided to take over this previously bipartisan institution.

Giddens is an electric roots music performer who is known for co-founding the Carolina Chocolate Drops and for her collaboration with Francesco Turrisi in the Grammy-winning “They’re Calling Me Home. In 2022 Giddens also helped write the Pulitzer prize-winning opera “Omar. Giddens has also received a MacArthur “Genius grant. Until Donald Trump’s first term presidents have routinely attended the honors ceremony even in the presence of artists who disagreed with them politically.