Kennedy Center's new programming head resigns days after hire was announced

Source: Washington Post

January 28, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. EST


In a Jan. 16 news release, the Kennedy Center announced that Kevin Couch would be its new senior vice president of artistic programming. On Jan. 22, the center posted the announcement on X. Not a week later, Couch resigned. Couch confirmed his resignation Wednesday but declined to comment further. The Kennedy Center did not respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment. A webpage listing the center’s executive administration does not include Couch.

“We are proud to welcome Kevin Couch to the Trump Kennedy Center as we expand our commonsense programming,” the Kennedy Center’s president, Richard Grenell, said in the statement announcing Couch’s hiring. “Kevin brings a clear-eyed approach to curating a roster of compelling shows that invite and inspire all audiences.”

Couch founded CBC Creative, a Dallas-based branding agency. He also worked as a manager for various touring acts, including the R&B group Color Me Badd, according to the news release. His position as the director of programming for ATG Entertainment, which oversees venues in San Antonio, Tulsa, Little Rock and Springfield, Missouri, was the most relevant to his short-lived stint as an artistic programmer for the Kennedy Center. He routinely booked acts with wide appeal such as Nate Bargatze, Diana Ross and Carlos Santana.

“I am honored to join the Trump Kennedy Center at such a pivotal moment for the performing arts,” Couch said in the news release. “I look forward to the extraordinary creative possibilities ahead — championing our artists and partners to deliver meaningful experiences at America’s cultural center.” Couch’s surprisingly quick resignation comes as the Kennedy Center is shedding talent from its stages, with many cancellations announced after President Donald Trump, the center’s chairman, had his name added to the building and its branding.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2026/01/28/kennedy-center-kevin-couch-resigns-svp-artistic-programming/