John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts - The Atlantic

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Trump Got What He Wanted From the Kennedy Center Honors

Janay Kingsberry

October 2, 2026

Donald and Melania Trump attend the Kennedy Center Honors in 2025.

The Kennedy Center Is the Most Terrifying Building in America

Alexandra Petri

September 27, 2026

kennedy center with a fence illustrated

What the Kennedy Center’s Tax Return Reveals

Janay Kingsberry

September 18, 2026

The exterior of the Kennedy Center

A Shouting Match and an Ultimatum at the Kennedy Center

Janay Kingsberry

September 15, 2026

The Kennedy Center seen from the Potomac River

Trump’s Kennedy Center Shakedown

September 14, 2026

A security guard walks in the main hall of the Kennedy Center on the red carpet, backlit by the large windows.

This Was a Good Sculpture

September 9, 2026

The sculpture "Blue" by Joel Shapiro seen in front of the Kennedy Center.

The Kennedy Center Has a Problem That Courts Can’t Fix

Janay Kingsberry

August 29, 2026

Donald Trump presides over a Kennedy Center board meeting in March 2025.

Trump’s New Plan to Get His Name Back on the Kennedy Center

Janay Kingsberry

August 13, 2026

A person is silhouetted in front of a building under construction

Dead-Mall Vibes at the Kennedy Center

Janay Kingsberry

July 30, 2026

The exterior of the Kennedy Center, where the name is still obscured by a tarp.

The Kennedy Center’s Latest Defense Raises a New Mystery

Janay Kingsberry

June 30, 2026

The facade of the Kennedy Center covered by a tarp

Trump Gets Roasted on Bill Maher’s Night

Janay Kingsberry

June 29, 2026

The Kennedy Center, Minus Trump

Janay Kingsberry

June 12, 2026

Workers on scaffolding are seen near the sign outside the John F. Kennedy Center. Trump's name is still up.

The Atlantic Daily

The Kennedy Center Is a Metaphor for De-Trumpification

David A. Graham

June 11, 2026

A photo of the Kennedy Center with a light blur in the middle of the screen

The Congresswoman Who Got Trump’s Name Off the Kennedy Center

Janay Kingsberry

June 6, 2026

The bust of president John F. Kennedy on the inside of the Kennedy Center in D.C.

Trump’s Name Is Disappearing From More Than Just the Kennedy Center

Janay Kingsberry

June 4, 2026

A photo of the Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center Enters the Unknown

Janay Kingsberry

May 29, 2026

The Kennedy Center lit up at night, the reflection of its lights appearing in the Potomac River

What I Saw Inside the Kennedy Center

April 16, 2026

A blurred color photo of the Grand Foyer of the Kennedy Center, showing a bronze bust of John F. Kennedy in focus.

The Atlantic Hires Kelsey Ables, Janay Kingsberry, Will Oremus, and Matt Viser as Staff Writers

March 30, 2026

From left: Kelsey Ables (photo by Kelly Kasulis Cho), Janay Kingsberry (photo by Marvin Joseph), Will Oremus, Matt Viser

The Bill Maher Effect

Jonathan L. Fischer

March 28, 2026

Trump’s Giant Face Is Everywhere

March 23, 2026

A banner with Trump's face on it blows in the wind

Not So Fast, Bill Maher

Jonathan L. Fischer and Ashley Parker

March 20, 2026

From left to right: Donald Trump (in black and white), Bill Maher (in color), and Mark Twain (in black and white)

Why Trump Got Sick of Ric Grenell

Jonathan L. Fischer

March 14, 2026

A photo of Ric Grenell and Donald Trump

The Atlantic Daily

The ‘You Can’t Fire Me—I Quit’ Presidency

David A. Graham

February 12, 2026

Donald Trump boards Air Force One before departing for his Mar-a-Lago residence, at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, on February 6, 2026.

The Meaning of Melania

February 7, 2026

a photo of Melania Trump

This Is Not the Kennedy Center

February 4, 2026

Image of the audience at the Kennedy Center

The Atlantic Daily

Trump Made a Bad Bet on the Kennedy Center

David A. Graham

February 2, 2026

Color photo of the Kennedy Center sign under construction.

The Show Won’t Go On

December 30, 2025

The Trump-Kennedy Center

What the U.S. Could Learn From an Irish Theater

December 23, 2025

A historic photo of the Abbey Theater

The Pitiful Childishness of Donald Trump

December 21, 2025

Workers rename the Kennedy Center

The Atlantic Daily

The United States of Donald Trump

David A. Graham

December 19, 2025

kennedy center renaming

Trump’s Very Weird Night at the Kennedy Center Honors

Alexandra Petri

December 8, 2025

trump in kennedy center honors awards show illustration

What Trump Missed at the Kennedy Center

June 12, 2025

Donald Trump juxtaposed with a flag of Cosette from Les Miserables, in a red-white-blue-and-black collage

The Real Message Behind Les Misérables

June 9, 2025

Photo of a man in a suit clapping with a huge red flag in the foreground, covering half his face.

Trump’s Kennedy Center Debut: Les Mis and Six-Figure Checks

Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer

May 6, 2025

Photo of Donald Trump walking on a red carpet in a theater

Why I Played the Kennedy Center

April 10, 2025

Photos of the Kennedy Center and of Ryan Miller, lead singer of Guster

The Kennedy Center Performers Who Didn’t Cancel

March 21, 2025

An illustration of the Kennedy Center