Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, has accused the Kennedy Center’s current board, led by Chairman Donald Trump, of intentionally allowing the venue to languish into a ‘lifeless husk’ by not resuming regular shows and programming.

Background

Beatty, an ex officio board member of the Kennedy Center, initially filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump in December 2025, when the board decided to install signage displaying his name alongside Kennedy’s on the building.

According to a recent court filing, Beatty’s legal team argued that the current board is in violation of a May court order by ‘refusing to take any steps to maintain the Center’s operations, and will effectively close the Center as a performing arts venue come July 5, 2026.’ The board’s lawyers responded that the court’s order did not require them to reschedule programming that had previously been cancelled or to seek new programming.

Current Status

The Kennedy Center’s management will begin presenting recommendations for plans to reopen. The venue’s lawyers said the board is considering several options, including a full closure with no programming, a partial closure that would keep some areas open to the public and allow performances in unaffected spaces, and a phased repair plan that would revive a full programming schedule.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.