Kennedy Center President Calls ‘Hamilton’ Cancellation ‘Publicity Stunt That Will Backfire’
A limited engagement of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s award-winning musical “Hamilton” was called-off at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center earlier this week, with producers citing the “recent purge by the Trump Administration.” Now, the venue’s president is firing back.
“This is a publicity stunt that will backfire,” the Kennedy Center’s new president Ric Grenell said in a statement. “The arts are for everyone – not just people who Lin likes and agrees with.”
While X owner and Trump ally Elon Musk did not specifically release a statement of his own regarding the cancellation, he responded to a post on X where a user said that the Kennedy Center was “not HIGHLY politicized before Trump 2.0 took office” and “in reality, Trump is eliminating the politicization and you fascist drama queens are just peeved that the institution no longer reflects your perverse political beliefs.”
Musk simply stated, “Exactly.”
These claims follow producer Jeffrey Seller’s lengthy statement on “Hamilton’s” social media channels that 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 cultural center represents.”
Seller noted that “political disagreement and debate are vital expressions of democracy,” however, “some institutions are sacred and should be protected from politics,” pointing to the Kennedy Center.
in recent weeks we have sadly seen decades of Kennedy Center neutrality be destroyed. 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 cultural center represents. This spirit of nonpartisanship ended on February 7, 2025, with the firing of Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter, the Chairman of the Board David Rubenstein, and numerous other Kennedy Center board members, as well as the cancellation of important programming. These actions bring a new spirit of partisanship to the national treasure that is the Kennedy Center.”
Seller went on to explain that his decision to cancel ‘Hamilton’ shows was not an act of protest against the Trump Administration. Instead, the cancellation is an act “against the partisan policies of the Kennedy Center as a result of his recent takeover.” He also pointed to the possibility that the Kennedy Center’s new leadership could suddenly cancel or re-negotiate the engagement.
“Hamilton” isn’t alone; the Kennedy Center released a list of show cancellations and postponements over the past six months on Friday. Roma Daravi, VP of public relations at the center, noted in a statement that the list was published “in the spirit of transparency due to the litany of misinformation being spread in the press,” noting that the only shows the venue has cancelled were “due to lack of sales or artist availability.”
— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) March 7, 2025
Notably, a planned tour of the children’s musical “Finn” was cancelled last month. The production, which is commissioned and first premiered last year, sold-out during its initial run at the Kennedy Center. While the venue noted in a statement that its decision was a financial one, the production has been dubbed “controversial” as its themes could be portrayed as a metaphor for the LGBTQ+ community.
The public have spoken-out about the direction of the Kennedy Center, with many worried of its future under Trump’s leadership. The President previously said that he plans to eliminate drag shows and “woke” art at the venue, though admitted he has never actually seen a show at the institution.
In response to Trump, drag artists and community organizers are set to hold a “Rally & March for Drag” on March 8. They’ve called on the Kennedy Center Board to “reinstate queer programming” and an “end to congressional attempts at criminalizing gender non-conformity.”
