Canny named Kennedy Center artistic director amid financial headaches
Entertainment
The Kennedy Center just named Rick Canny, known for managing acts like ZZ Top and Tommy Lee, as its new artistic director.
He's been consulting there since 2025, but his official appointment comes while the center is facing some serious financial headaches.
Kennedy Center memo flags canny fees
Canny's consulting fees, during one month in early 2026, $30,000 in consulting fees, and over $28,000 in fees and travel expenses, have raised eyebrows among staff.
The center's then-senior director of music programming, Sammy Miller, called out these costs in a memo.
All this is happening while the Kennedy Center deals with legal battles over a major renovation plan and is fighting in federal court over a two-year, large-scale renovation closure.