Overview

• President Trump overhauled the Kennedy Center board in February and declared himself chair.
• Artists including Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Jeffrey Seller canceled planned performances in protest of the leadership change.
• In a New Yorker interview published May 27, Patti LuPone said more than once that the “Trumpified” center “should get blown up.”
• Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell denounced the comments as violent extremism and urged public denunciation of radical rhetoric.
• This week the center unveiled its 2025–26 season lineup featuring Broadway hits and family-friendly programming under its new leadership.