Lifestyle

5 epic outdoor adventures that will make you feel powerful in 2024

Published

2 years ago

January 8, 2024

5 epic outdoor adventures that will make you feel powerful in 2024

Channel your inner adventurer. You may have seen “Nyad,” the Netflix film about Diana Nyad, in which the American distance swimmer (played by Annette Bening) swims to Florida from Cuba outside the protective confines of a shark cage — at age 64.

“I don’t believe in imposed limitations,” she says matter-of-factly in one scene.

And neither should you.

But you need not swim with sharks for days, as Nyad did, to get the rush that comes with taking on a seemingly impossible fitness challenge. There are plenty of more realistic — yet still epic — outdoor adventures around SoCal to focus your fitness goals on and set the bar high for 2024.

Sure, there’s the Los Angeles Marathon in March, a 26.2-mile course from Dodger Stadium to Century City that participants start training for months in advance. Or the 15-mile Great Los Angeles Walk every November that you can start gearing up for now. But we’re thinking off the beaten track (or, in one case, on the beaten track, but on foot instead of wheels).

Whether you’re into long-distance walking, steep hiking, rock climbing, skiing or water sports, here are five SoCal-area outdoor challenges that will whip you into shape. Good luck.

1. Take an extremely long urban walk

Perhaps because Los Angeles is such an auto-dependent city, walking long distances through congested urban areas can feel sort of gleefully illicit, an iconoclastic journey that inevitably has urban pioneers navigating thickets of construction, crossing sun-scorched asphalt and trudging underneath freeway overpasses. Which can be a challenge — and kind of the point here.

Los Angeles is home to extraordinarily long and historic boulevards that crisscross our pop cultural landscape, popping up in films, song lyrics and novels. There’s Sunset Boulevard (21.75 miles, according to Google Earth), Sepulveda Boulevard (42.8 miles), Vermont Avenue (23.3 miles), Mulholland Drive (21.13 miles), Ventura Boulevard (18 miles). Pick one and make it a DIY adventure. Vow to walk the length of the street in a day — or over several days, picking up where you left off.

Step count aside, it’s a wonderful way to connect the cultural dots in the city, meandering through diverse neighborhoods, happening upon little-known shops and restaurants, passing sidewalk food vendors, tucked away public art and garage sales, not to mention a prism of people-watching.

Make it a personal pilgrimage. When he was in his early 20s, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold, spent months walking the length of — and eating his way along — Pico Boulevard, sampling Oaxacan restaurants, steak joints and Greek and Scandinavian delis, among other cuisines.

It provided inspiration for what would become an illustrious career as a food writer focused on L.A.’s lesser-known ethnic restaurants. But the journey also gave Gold a window into what he described as “the unglamorous bits of Los Angeles, the row of one-stops that supply records to local jukeboxes, the kosher-pizza district, the auto-body shops that speckle its length the way giant churches speckle Wilshire.”

Still need inspiration? These guys walked 50 miles to Redondo Beach Pier from Pasadena City College over more than 18 hours.

These four? They walked the length of Sunset Boulevard (extending beyond the city limits) in a day.

Their 2023 journey, Pedro Moura wrote, “reminded us all of personal experiences we had long forgotten, memories we will never forget and history we had only read about.”

Pro tip: Wear sock liners to help prevent blisters.

2. Conquer the SoCal trifecta — with a twist

The goal here is to surf in the ocean at dawn, ski in the mountains in the afternoon and — here’s the twist — rock climb in the desert at sunset. There are myriad ways to do this challenge, considering SoCal’s many beaches and surrounding terrain. But here’s an especially efficient route.

Start at Santa Monica’s Bay Street Beach, at Bay Street and Oceanfront Walk. Paddle out just before dawn and watch the sunrise from the water. After about an hour of surfing (say, from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.), jump on the nearby 10 freeway and head east.

If you hit the road by about 8 a.m., you can reach Mt. Baldy Resort, the closest ski destination to L.A., not to mention the most affordable, by about 9:30 a.m., traffic depending. Half-day lift tickets run $30 to $80, depending on how much of the mountain is open due to weather conditions. Mt. Baldy Resort is open seven days a week during ski season, and the main lodge is at the top of the first chair lift, which has views of the Pacific, making it a destination unto itself. You can be on the slopes by 10 a.m.

Ski for about two hours and, with time for lunch, you can be on the road again by 12:30 p.m.

Joshua Tree National Park is about another two to 2½ hours east. Aim to arrive by about 3 p.m. Experienced climbers with their own gear need only to drive into the park and find a nearby rock formation to get started. (You can buy a $30 seven-day pass, the cheapest, on the way in.) But for everyone else, there are any number of private guides for hire in the area who can be easily found ahead of time online and who will meet you there with climbing shoes, harnesses and helmets. They’ll set up the ropes for you safely and offer instruction. Rates depend on how many people are in the group.

Climb for several hours and catch the sunset from the summit of an iconic rock formation.

Having worked up an appetite, enjoy a well-earned dinner at, say, the Joshua Tree Saloon or grab a slice of pizza (several — you earned it!) at Sky High Pizza before heading back to L.A. If the traffic gods are smiling, you could be home by 10 p.m. Sleep well.

Pro tip: Join the Loyalty Club program at Mt. Baldy Resort for free to receive credits toward new purchases, including future lift tickets.

3. Hike the Trans-Catalina trail in three nights

This is a 38.5 mile thru-hike that traverses the entire island of Catalina. Generally, the hike takes about three nights, camping along the way, but it can be done faster or slower. The terrain here is especially diverse, spanning urban sidewalks at the start and paved roads later to manicured gardens, a pine forest and dirt trails with ocean views. Catalina has more than 60 endemic species of plants and animals, so be on the lookout for Catalina Island fox and Catalina live-forever succulents, among other unique wildlife.

The elevation gain also fluctuates greatly on this hike — from sea level to more than 1,700 feet. The mostly dirt trail is well maintained but features near-constant ups and downs, many of them heart-poundingly steep.

Take an early boat from Long Beach, San Pedro, Dana Point or Newport Beach. The trailhead, at 708 Crescent Ave. in Avalon, is walking distance from “the Mole,” where boats arrive. If you’d prefer to wake up on the island, stay at the Hermit Gulch campground in Avalon, where you can camp or rent cloth tent cabins. It’s on the trail, so from there you can walk straight up, farther into Avalon Canyon.

Day 1 passes through the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden, built in the early 1930s as a tribute to William Wrigley Jr. (of the Wrigley chewing gum family) and brimming with 38 acres of plants . Climb up to the eastern summit at 1,450 feet, with stunning views of San Pedro and Mt. Baldy on a clear day. Black Jack Campground, 10.7 miles from Avalon, is an excellent destination for the first night. It’s a wooded area thick with pine trees, a luxury, as there’s little shade on the trail. All the campsites on the trail offer bathrooms and drinking water.

Day 2 highlights include the Airport in the Sky, a small airport on a mountain with a restaurant on site if you’re inclined to stop for sustenance. It’s at 1,602 feet. You’ll also pass a more than 2,000-year-old soapstone quarry. Little Harbor and Shark Harbor campgrounds, 18.9 miles from Avalon, are the only campsites on the backside of the island. They’re on the beach — the 1962 film “Mutiny on the Bounty” was filmed there — so you can sleep on the sand or on grassy patches nearby.

Day 3 is the toughest of this adventure and leads to the most remote campsite. You’ll start out at sea level and head to the Isthmus, the narrowest part of the island at half a mile wide. The village of Two Harbors is there as well, with a general store to stock up on goods. Those destinations are at sea level as well, but to get there, you will have climbed more than 1,200 feet. After the Isthmus, you’ll again climb 1,600 feet and then back down to Parsons Landing campground, at sea level. You will have made it 30.8 miles from Avalon by this point.

Day 4 circles back, via a different route, to Two Harbors — and it’s the shortest day of the journey at just under 8 miles. It’s also comparatively flat: The highest point is an elevation of only 200 feet. At Two Harbors, you can board a ferry to the mainland. But stop first at the West End Galley for lunch or the Harbor Reef Restaurant for dinner. Celebrate with a Buffalo Milk, a creamy, banana-tasting cocktail with vodka and Kahlua.

Pro tips: Make camping reservations ahead of time (catalinaconservancy.org). Hiking permits are free, but camping costs about $30 a night, per person. Joining the Catalina Island Conservancy, starting at $35 annually, will cut costs by about 50%. For a splurge, have Catalina Backcountry haul your gear and set up your campsite.

4. Tackle L.A.’s most brutal stairway walks

Charles Fleming’s 2010 book, “Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles,” is something of a classic by now. When it first came out, I went down the rabbit hole, exploring a chunk of the 42 walks — including about 300 staircases — that Fleming maps out. Favorites? Walk No. 22, in Silver Lake, with its craggy succulents and lush foliage providing plenty of shade; and the silent film era-allure of the Music Box Steps, which Laurel and Hardy immortalized in the 1932 “talkie” film “The Music Box” — the duo comically hauls a piano up the narrow staircase in the movie.

I purposely skipped several chapters in Fleming’s book altogether. Too much of a challenge, despite majestic views, notable surrounding architecture and the promise of a strenuous, brag-worthy workout.

If your glutes are braver than mine, consider taking on the five most brutal staircase walks of them all. They are, according to former Times staffer Fleming:

Pacific Palisades, Giant Steps

Distance: 3.6-mile walk, with 1,117 staircase steps.
What makes it especially difficult: Beyond the sheer number of steps — one staircase alone is 500 steps — they’re also really long staircases with no breaks between them.
Expect: “A stunning walk, a classic California space,” Fleming told me. It’s also a particularly fragrant walk, thick with oak and eucalyptus trees, a few pines and a ton of wild sage on the ground. So as you climb what he calls “the monster step walk,” take comfort in that small sensory delight as you huff and puff your way to the top.

Highland Park, Southwest Museum

Distance: A 3.2-mile walk, with 568 steps.
What makes it especially difficult: In addition to one very steep staircase, to get there you have to walk up Eldred Street, considered the steepest road in California. “By the time you get to the stairs — a long two blocks worth — you’re already exhausted,” Fleming told me.
Expect: The walk includes the longest wooden staircase in Los Angeles, at 196 steps. Passing a portion of the historic, now-closed Southwest Museum of the American Indian is a highlight of this walk, as is the stretch along Sycamore Terrace, the views of Sycamore Grove, the coast live oak trees and beautiful old Craftsman homes.

Avalon-Baxter Loop, Echo Park

Distance: A 3.5-mile walk, with 695 steps.
What makes it especially difficult: It includes two long and very steep staircases — back to back — the Avalon steps and Baxter steps. In addition to other staircases.
Expect: Stunning views of Elysian Park and downtown to Westwood. The walk traverses an area known as Red Hill, nicknamed for its history of left-leaning residents, writers and artists such as Woody Guthrie and Upton Sinclair.

Swan’s Way, Silver Lake.

Distance: A 1.5-mile walk, with 369 steps.
What makes it especially difficult: It’s one continuous, three-tiered staircase — “Some of the longest, steepest staircases in the city,” Fleming says. It’s all glutes and calves on the way up and quads on the way down.
Expect: Painted murals on the staircases and interesting architecture along the way. Also: wonderful views of the Silver Lake reservoir.

Beachwood Canyon, Hollywood.

Distance: A 2.6-mile walk, with 861 steps.
What makes it especially difficult: It’s a longer walk, with more than half a dozen staircases, and they’re particularly long . One is 143 steps, another 148.
Expect: “The most beautiful staircases in the city — artfully designed,” Fleming told me. They traverse what used to be the development of Hollywoodland, which debuted in the early 1920s, and they feature granite and wrought iron handrails. The route also features multiple tree overhangs providing shade along the way — so it’s doable on very hot days — and it offers stunning views from downtown L.A. to the ocean. But the most dramatic view is of the iconic Hollywood sign, nestled in the hillside and presiding over the historic neighborhood.

Pro tip: This one should be obvious, but it’s worth a reminder: Stretch, stretch, stretch both before and after the walks. Especially your calves, glutes and quads.

5. Kayak to hidden sea caves. How many can you find?

Who wouldn’t want to search out the so-called Painted Cave — one of the largest, deepest sea caves in the world — along Santa Cruz Island in a kayak? Consider it a maritime adventure.

Santa Cruz is one the easiest Channel Islands to get to, with more boat trips headed there per week than most of the other islands. And its craggy, rocky perimeter features tons of sea caves brimming with hidden wildlife. Many are easily accessible while paddling along the coastline. But a good number are tucked away, around jagged rock walls or hidden within larger caves. The four or five hours you’ll spend paddling to seek them out, however, will be well worth it.

From Ventura Harbor, it’s about an hour to Scorpion Landing — the only harbor on the island managed by the National Park Service and open to the public. Rent a kayak ahead of time at Channel Island Kayak Center or bring your own; as long as you reserve transport space ahead of time, Island Packers will take you and your kayak there.

From Scorpion Landing, paddle to the left, heading north along the coast of the island — a larger number of caves are in that direction, and you can explore caves for several hours. Start early in the morning; you’ll have a better chance of the wind being with you at the start and at your back upon your return. Be sure to check the weather, wind currents and tides ahead of time, all of which determine level of difficulty (weather.gov). At high tide, the cave entrances are harder to get into as the passage area is smaller; at low tide, there may not be enough water to get to the back of the cave.

Expect to see dynamic rock formations inside the caves — a mix of blues, reds and browns, depending on the light. The Painted Cave is so nicknamed because when the light hits the ceiling, it looks as if an artist watercolored it, with bouncing, multicolored reflections. You may also see sea lions resting on interior cave rocks or harbor seals outside the cave. Keep a safe distance and don’t disturb the animals. You’ll also encounter a prism of marine plants such as varying kelps. The waves are generally milder inside the deeper caves and rockier in the caves with openings facing the surf. A few are through-caves, but most require you to paddle out the way you came in.

Pro tip: Bring a helmet, should the currents push you against a cave wall, as well as a head lamp for dark passages. Upside: Steadying yourself against all that rocking — and the prolonged paddling — is an especially good workout for the core.

Lifestyle

Veteran actor T.K. Carter, known for ‘The Thing’ and ‘Punky Brewster,’ dies at 69

Published

55 minutes ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Veteran actor T.K. Carter, known for ‘The Thing’ and ‘Punky Brewster,’ dies at 69

Actor TK Carter arrives for the premiere of “The LA Riot” at the Tribeca Film Festival, Monday, April 25, 2005, in New York.

Mary Altaffer/AP

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Mary Altaffer/AP

DUARTE, Calif. — Veteran actor T.K. Carter, who appeared in the horror film “The Thing” and “Punky Brewster” on television, has died at the age of 69.

Carter was declared dead Friday evening after deputies responded to a call regarding an unresponsive male in Duarte, California, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Police did not disclose a cause of death or other details, but said no foul play was suspected.

Thomas Kent “T.K.” Carter was born Dec. 18, 1956, in New York City and was raised in Southern California.

He began his career in stand-up comedy and with acting roles. Carter had been acting for years before a breakthrough role as Nauls the cook in John Carpenter’s 1982 horror classic, “The Thing.” He also had a recurring role in the 1980s sitcom “Punky Brewster.”

Other big-screen roles include “Runaway Train” in 1985, “Ski Patrol” in 1990 and “Space Jam” in 1996.

“T.K. Carter was a consummate professional and a genuine soul whose talent transcended genres,” his publicist, Tony Freeman, said in a statement. “He brought laughter, truth, and humanity to every role he touched. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of artists and fans alike.”

Lifestyle

Kylie Jenner Shows Off Cleavage in Tight Leather Top While Promoting New Perfume

Published

2 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Kylie Jenner Shows Off Cleavage in Tight Leather Top While Promoting New Perfume

Kylie Jenner
Cosmic Cleavage …
Flaunts Boobs While Pushing New Fragrance

Published
January 10, 2026
5:38 PM PST

Kylie Jenner‘s full-bodied new fragrance is out … and, she’s using her bust to promote it — pushing up her cleavage for the ad.

The model posed in the sleeveless red leather top which perfectly matched the fragrance bottle she held against her head.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

The star’s looking away from camera … though we imagine if she could see fans looking at the pic, she might tell them her eyes were up about a foot or so!

She captioned the post by telling fans the new smell is called COSMIC INTENSE … a spin-off of her original “COSMIC” which feels “warmer, creamier, and even more addictive.”

kylie jenner perfume sub insta

KJ’s gotta promote the perfume now because she’s not going to have much time to work on her business in upcoming weeks … as we imagine she’ll attend every awards show with her man, Timothée Chalamet.

As you know … Chalamet got handsy with Jenner shortly after winning the Critics Choice Award for Best Actor — grabbing her backside while sitting in the audience. He’d just said he loved her in his acceptance speech as well.

Maybe Chalamet will grab a bit of her cosmic cleavage if he wins a Golden Globe this weekend!

Lifestyle

Washington National Opera leaves Kennedy Center, joining slew of artist exits

Published

13 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Washington National Opera leaves Kennedy Center, joining slew of artist exits

A view of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which the current board is calling the Trump Kennedy Center, in Washington, DC, on Dec. 26, 2025.

Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images

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Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images

The Washington National Opera is leaving the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, its home since 1971.

Friday’s news, shared with NPR in a statement via email from the opera company, comes in response to new policies which the 70-year-old performing arts group said strain its financial model.

The Washington National Opera stressed the “amicability” of its decision to end its longtime residency at the Kennedy Center. But it said the center’s new business model, which requires productions to be fully-funded in advance, is incompatible with the usual mix of ticket sales, grants and donations that cannot all be secured ahead.

“Opera companies typically cover only 30-60% of costs through ticket sales, with the remainder from grants and donations that cannot be secured years ahead when productions must be planned,” the statement said.

The company added the model also does not accommodate its artistic mission, which aims to balance popular works such as West Side Story, slated for May 2026, with more obscure and experimental operas, such as the little-known Scott Joplin work, Treemonisha, scheduled for March. “Revenue from major productions traditionally subsidizes smaller, innovative works,” the statement said.

Artistic director Francesca Zambello, who has led the company for 14 seasons, shared her regrets in a statement with NPR, while also looking to the future.

“I am deeply saddened to leave the Kennedy Center,” Zambello said. “In the coming years, as we explore new venues and new ways of performing, Washington National Opera remains committed to its mission and artistic vision. Our repertory will continue to include diverse offerings, from monumental classics to more contemporary works, presented in bold visual productions with first-class musical values.”

In addition to a continued presence for now on the Kennedy Center website, the opera company launched its new independent website within a few hours of its announcement.

“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the Washington National Opera due to a financially challenging relationship,” the Kennedy Center wrote in an email to NPR on Friday. “We believe this represents the best path forward for both organizations and enables us to make responsible choices that support the financial stability and long-term future of the Trump Kennedy Center.”

On social media, Kennedy Center executive director Richard Grenell said it was the center’s decision to sever ties with the opera company — and not the other way around.

“The Trump Kennedy Center has made the decision to end the EXCLUSIVE partnership with the Washington Opera so that we can have the flexibility and funds to bring in operas from around the world and across the U.S.” Grenell said. “Having an EXCLUSIVE relationship has been extremely expensive and limiting in choice and variety.”

Grenell reposted his message on Saturday after he was alerted that his X.com account had been hacked and the original message had been removed.

President Donald Trump was named chairman of the Kennedy Center’s board in February 2025. His name was added to the Kennedy Center in December following a vote by the Trump-appointed members of its board. Since the power of the venue’s board to rename the center is currently in dispute, NPR continues to refer to the Kennedy Center using its legal name.

A string of exits

The Washington National Opera’s departure is the latest and perhaps most significant in a string of artist exits from the cultural institution since Trump took over the institution.

Backlash from ticket-buyers, slated performers, and certain board members—including Shonda Rhimes—was swift.

Artists are continuing to cancel performances. But one of the first to do so was a touring production of the musical Hamilton. In a statement on X in March 2025, producer Jeffrey Seller said he opposed the Trump administration’s ousting of many Democratic board members.

“The recent purge by the Trump Administration of both professional staff and performing arts events at or originally produced by the Kennedy Center flies in the face of everything this national center represents,” wrote Seller.

Actress and writer Issa Rae followed suit with a post on Instagram, cancelling her sold-out March performance.

A slew of additional artists and performance companies canceled after the board’s vote to rename the center “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” Congress has not yet authorized the name change.

Grenell has responded to many cancellations on social media, condemning the artists. After Banjo player Béla Fleck canceled his performance because he said the center had become “political,” Grenell wrote on X, “You just made it political and caved to the woke mob who wants you to perform for only Lefties.

“This mob pressuring you will never be happy until you only play for Democrats. The Trump Kennedy Center believes all people are welcome—Democrats and Republicans and people uninterested in politics. We want performers who aren’t political—who simply love entertaining everyone regardless of who they voted for.”

Find a running list of these cancellations below.

Sonia De Los Santos

On Jan. 8, singer-songwriter Sonia De Los Santos announced on Instagram that she was canceling her upcoming February concert at the Kennedy Center. “As an artist,” wrote De Los Santos, “I treasure the freedom to create and share my music, and for many years I have used this privilege to uplift the stories of immigrants in this country.”

De Los Santos, who was nominated for a Latin Grammy for best children’s album in 2018, stated that “I do not feel that the current climate at this beloved venue represents a welcoming space for myself, my band, or our audience.”

Béla Fleck performs onstage during the 67th Annual Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony at Peacock Theater on Feb. 2, 2025 in Los Angeles.

Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Béla Fleck

Performing at the Kennedy Center “has become charged and political, at an institution where the focus should be on the music,” wrote American banjo player Béla Fleck about his scheduled appearance with the National Symphony Orchestra in an official statement posted to Instagram on Jan. 7. “I have withdrawn from my upcoming performance with the NSO at The Kennedy Center,” he wrote. “I look forward to playing with the NSO another time in the future when we can together share and celebrate art.”

The 18-time Grammy winner has performed at the Kennedy Center in the past.

Stephen Schwartz

The composer and lyricist for the beloved musicals Wicked, Godspell and Pippin was expected to host a gala fundraiser for the Washington National Opera in May 2026. On Jan. 2, Schwartz announced his withdrawal. According to NBC News, Schwartz reflected that the Kennedy Center was “founded to be a political home for free artistic expression for artists of all nationalities and ideologies.” Today, he said, making an appearance “has now become an ideological statement.”

Richard Grenell quickly responded to Schwartz’s withdrawal, calling it a “bogus” report in a statement posted on X and saying reporters were plagiarizing a “fake @RollingStone story.” Schwartz was “never signed,” Grenell wrote.

Reports from NBC and other outlets, including Variety, have refuted this claim, publishing screenshots showing that Schwartz was promoted on the Kennedy Center’s website prior to his cancellation.

Stephen Schwartz attends the 2025 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Marriott Marquis Times Square on Jun. 12, 2025 in New York City.

Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame

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Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame

The Cookers

The seven-piece band of veteran jazz musicians announced shortly before Dec. 31 that they would not perform at the Kennedy Center for “A Jazz New Year’s Eve:”

“We know this news is disappointing,” reads the statement on their website. “We are not turning away from our audience, and do want to make sure that when we do return to the bandstand, the room is able to celebrate the full presence of the music and everyone in it. Our hope is that this moment will leave space for reflection, not resentment.”

The statement went on to say, “We remain committed to playing music that reaches across divisions rather than deepening them.”

Chuck Redd

The American jazz drummer and longtime host of the Kennedy Center’s annual Christmas Jazz Jam chose to cancel his 2025 appearance when he “saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building,” according to a statement sent to the Associated Press.

On Dec. 27, the Kennedy Center announced its plan to file a $1 million lawsuit against Redd. “Any artist canceling their show at the Trump Kennedy Center over political differences isn’t courageous or principled—they are selfish, intolerant, and have failed to meet the basic duty of a public artist: to perform for all people,” said Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi.

In a letter shared with NPR, Richard Grenell condemned Redd: “Regrettably, your action surrenders to the sad bullying tactics employed by certain elements on the left, who have sought to intimidate artists into boycotting performances at our national cultural center.”

Doug Varone and Dancers

“The renaming for me has kind of pushed me off a cliff,” said choreographer Doug Varone on Dec. 31, when he spoke with NPR’s Morning Edition. Varone, who was set to showcase members of his Doug Varone and Dancers company at the Kennedy Center in April 2026, pulled the performance.

John F. Kennedy, for whom the Kennedy Center was established as a living memorial, “believed in the arts as kind of the beating heart of our nation,” said Varone.

“I believe that the level of artistry has dropped drastically since the administration change, and the employees that were responsible for the quality of the work at the center have all been let go.”

After canceling, the company started a crowdfunding campaign to help offset its financial loss. It raised over $42,000, exceeding its $40,000 goal.

Magpie

In a statement posted to Facebook on Jan. 5, Greg Artzner of the American folk duo Magpie announced the decision to pull their Feb. 28 concert, set to play on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage.

“There isn’t really anything defensible” about Trump, said the statement from Artzner and Magpie’s Terry Leonino. Although they had planned an evening of songs with messages of unity and hope, “We are personally and philosophically in agreement with the belief underlying the growing boycott,” they said. “The stand being taken by fellow artists we respect and admire has created a moral picket line. We stand with them in solidarity.”

An update on Jan. 9 said that Magpie would now be performing a longer version of that concert on Feb. 21 at Seekers Church in Washington, D.C., now called, “The Traveling John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restoration Roadshow.”

Kristy Lee

Folk singer Kristy Lee canceled her Jan. 14 Kennedy Center performance due to “recent efforts to impose political branding on the Center,” according to a statement posted on her website.

“Public arts spaces should be free from political influence,” Lee said in her statement. “I step back out of respect for artistic freedom and the Kennedy Center’s founding mission, not in opposition to its staff, artists, or audience.”

On Jan. 14, Lee plans to host a live-streamed concert instead, titled “Showing Up: From the Kennedy Center to the Couch.”

Low Cut Connie

Philadelphia rock and roll band Low Cut Connie pulled their concert, set for February 2025, “Upon learning that this institution that has run non-partisan for 54 years is now chaired by President Trump himself and his regime,” according to a statement posted on their Facebook page.

“Maybe my career will suffer from this decision,” wrote band frontman Adam Weiner, “but my soul will be the better for it.”

Rhiannon Giddens

In Feb. 2025, folk singer Rhiannon Giddens announced her departure from the Kennedy Center lineup in a social media statement. “I cannot in good conscience play at The Kennedy with the recent programming changes forced on the institution by this new board,” wrote Giddens.

Giddens transferred her May 11 concert, “Old-Time Revue,” to The Anthem concert hall, also in Washington, D.C.

Balún

The Puerto Rican band, based in Brooklyn in New York City, canceled their Kennedy Center performance, which had been set for Feb. 27, 2025.

According to a statement posted to Balún’s Instagram account, “recent events made it clear that the space no longer aligns with our values. Our safety, integrity, and commitment to justice come first.”

Issa Rae attends HBO’s final season premiere of “Insecure” at Kenneth Hahn Park on Oct. 21, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

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Issa Rae

Shonda Rhimes attends the premiere of "Wicked" at the Museum of Modern Art on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in New York.

“Thank you so much for selling out the Kennedy Center for ‘An Evening With [Me],’” wrote Issa Rae, the acclaimed star and creator of HBO’s Insecure, on her Instagram stories page in Feb. 2025. “Unfortunately, due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums, I’ve decided to cancel my appearance at this venue.”

“Hamilton”

In March 2025, Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller announced on X that the Tony-award winning musical phenomenon would no longer run as scheduled at the Kennedy Center. According to the statement, the decision was made both for political and for business reasons. Not only was there “a new spirit of partisanship,” the statement read in part, but “it would be “financially and personally devastating to the employees of Hamilton if the new leadership of the Kennedy Center suddenly canceled or re-negotiated our engagement. The actions of the new Chairman of the Board in recent weeks demonstrate that contracts and previous agreements simply cannot be trusted.”

The Kennedy Center was swift to respond to Hamilton‘s cancellation. On X in a now-deleted post, Richard Grenell accused Hamilton star and creator Lin Manuel-Miranda of being “intolerant of people who don’t agree with him politically,” and stated that the decision was “a publicity stunt that will backfire.”

In the months since the show’s cancellation at the Center, Hamilton has continued to sell out theaters on Broadway and in venues nationwide who host its North American touring company.

U.S. Marine Band

The U.S. Marine Band announced in February 2025 that the Marine Band would not perform in the Equity Arc Wind Symphony event, a collaboration between Marine Band members and selected high school musicians.

The U.S. Marine Band, known also as “The President’s Own” was founded by an Act of Congress in 1798, making it the country’s oldest professional music organization.

Composer Kevin Charoensri, whose music had been scheduled to be performed by the band at the event, stated in a Facebook post that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) orders resulted in the cancellation of the Equity Arc concert:

“It has come to my attention that the program, one based on equity and diversity of voices, is no longer supported at the federal level under this administration,” Charoensri wrote. “It was for this reason that the program and performance were canceled.”