Here's What We Know About the Recent Kennedy Center Resignations
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was built as a living memorial for the slain president.
Published Jan. 29 2026, 2:16 p.m. ET
Ever since Donald Trump took over the chairman of the board role at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the summer of 2025, people have been disgruntled. The president fired the majority of the board members of the prestigious performing arts mecca and replaced them with friends who voted for the name change and unanimously voted him in as the new chairman of the board.
Congress named the performing arts center after John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963. The legislature would have to vote on a name change for it to be legal, per The Washington Post, but that didn't matter to Trump, and he had his own name slapped on the memorial following the vote. It is now the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and people have been exiting the stage ever since.
Here's what we know about the Kennedy Center resignations.
Following Trump's hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center, several performers opted not to participate in the annual Kennedy Center Honors. Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise declined an invite, per People, citing a scheduling conflict. The band KISS also turned down an invite, according to Billboard.
The first big exit after Trump took over the Kennedy Center was the senior vice president of artistic programming, Jeffrey Finn. Jeffrey was also the executive producer of theater before he quit after nearly 10 years at the Kennedy Center, and he gave no reason for his departure. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his replacement was hired and promptly quit the role.
Kevin Couch resigned from the Kennedy Center after just two weeks.
Jeffrey's replacement at the Kennedy Center was Kevin Couch. He confirmed to The New York Times on Jan. 28 that he'd resigned his position, which had just been announced on Jan. 16. Kevin had been the director of Programming for ATG Entertainment prior to his latest role.
"We are proud to welcome Kevin Couch to the Trump Kennedy Center as we expand our commonsense programming," said the center's President-Ambassador, Richard Grenell. "Kevin brings a clear-eyed approach to curating a roster of compelling shows that invite and inspire all audiences.”
"I am honored to join the Trump Kennedy Center at such a pivotal moment for the performing arts," said Kevin after he was hired, per Variety. "I look forward to the extraordinary creative possibilities ahead — championing our artists and partners to deliver meaningful experiences at America’s cultural center."
The Washington National Opera moved its performances out of the Kennedy Center following Trump's takeover, and artists Stephen Schwartz, Issa Rae, Renee Fleming, and the producers of Hamilton all canceled their shows at the center as well.
The Trump-Kennedy Center did not respond to requests for comment, and according to The Guardian, the performing arts center's ticket sales for its three largest performance stages are the lowest they've been in years.
Kevin's replacement at the performing arts center has not yet been named.