This year's Kennedy Center Honors will be held at Washington's Capital One Arena, rather than the riverfront building that has been involved in a legal dispute regarding the addition of President Donald Trump's name. The 49th annual awards are scheduled for December 7, according to a spokesperson for the Kennedy Center. The reason for the venue change was not provided.
Last month, the center's board decided to close the performing arts venue along the Potomac River after a federal judge ruled that the institution could not proceed with plans to add Trump's name to the building without Congressional approval. Trump has claimed on social media that the center needed to close for safety repairs, which he stated would only occur if his name was added to the building.
A federal judge has indicated that the addition of Trump's name cannot happen without Congressional approval, despite Congress having allocated $257 million for repairs. The president previously hosted the 2025 awards, where honorees included Sylvester Stallone and George Strait, and expressed intentions to rename the facility the "Trump Kennedy Center." Following this, efforts to add his name to the building began.
The board of trustees, appointed by Trump, unanimously voted for the name change, which has faced legal challenges. The Kennedy Center was designated as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy in 1964, the year following his assassination, and the law prohibits the board from renaming the center or adding another person's name to the building's exterior. The Kennedy Center Honors, which recognize lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts, were established in 1978. The 2026 honorees will be announced at a later date.