Kennedy Center's Ticketmaster switch raises conflict-of-interest questions

The Kennedy Center is planning to move its ticketing to Ticketmaster, and the change has raised conflict-of-interest questions because the institution's former president, Richard Grenell, was paid as a board member of Ticketmaster's parent company, Live Nation, while the deal was being negotiated. As of 11 November, the center's annual Kennedy Center Honors, scheduled for 7 December at Washington's Capital One Arena, had no public ticket sales, only a form for people to submit their interest.

Ticket delay tied to platform change

The Kennedy Center Honors has been held since 1978 and is a fixture of Washington's social calendar. In past years, high-level donors received first access to tickets, which typically went on sale in early summer. This year's honorees are songwriter Paul Anka, music producer David Foster, actor Andy Garcia, playwright David Mamet and country singer Barbara Mandrell.

NPR reported that current and former staff attribute the delay to the center's decision to replace its ticketing platform. For decades the center has used Tessitura, a not-for-profit system. The Kennedy Center declined to say when or how tickets would be made available, and did not explain why it is changing platforms.

Grenell's dual roles under scrutiny

Grenell became president of the Kennedy Center when Donald Trump became its chairman in February 2025. A few months later, in May, he joined Live Nation's board. According to Live Nation's most recent SEC filings, he was paid $260,205 for his board work in 2025 and received 102 shares of company stock, then worth about $14,200. The Kennedy Center's most recent tax filings say he received no pay as its president.

Richard Briffault, a Columbia Law School professor who specializes in government ethics, told NPR that holding a role at the center while sitting on the board of a company that does business with Ticketmaster would typically raise conflict-of-interest concerns. He described the arrangement as a problem because of the duty of loyalty owed to both entities. NPR's multiple attempts to reach Grenell were not answered, and the Kennedy Center declined to comment on his positions or financial interests.

Competing accounts of the decision

Kennedy Center spokesperson PJ Elliott said talks about moving ticketing to Ticketmaster began in 2024, before Grenell's appointment, and that the center "determined it had outgrown its previous ticketing system." Elliott said the agreement followed standard procurement review.

Two employees, one current and one former, told NPR that Ticketmaster was never seriously considered by the center's leadership in 2024. A former senior executive said they opposed the move and argued that Tessitura gave the center the capacity to manage its own data and customers. Ticketmaster said it "categorically den[ies]" that anyone pressured the center, and said Kennedy Center ticketing staff first approached it in February 2024 because of limits in the existing system. These accounts conflict, and the timeline of the decision has not been independently confirmed.

Industry consultant Steve Jacobson, founder of the consulting firm JCA, told NPR that Ticketmaster suits high-volume venues such as arenas and museums, but is designed mainly for commercial presenters. Tessitura, he said, supports fundraising, membership, customer service and education alongside ticket sales, and is used by more than 750 arts and culture institutions worldwide.

The ticketing change also comes amid a high-profile federal lawsuit over President Trump's wish to add his name to the institution, a dispute that NPR described as part of ongoing turmoil at the center.

What we know so far

What is confirmed is that the Kennedy Center plans to switch to Ticketmaster, that Grenell held a paid Live Nation board seat during the period in question, and that tickets for the December Honors had not been publicly offered as of 11 November. The reason for the switch, its timing and whether the arrangement created a conflict remain disputed, and no official finding on those points has been reported. Further details on ticket sales are expected from the center.

Chopal Unfiltered is an independent news site.