Overview

• Donald Trump appointed himself chairman of the Kennedy Center in February 2025, replacing 13 board members with loyalists including Richard Grenell and Laura Ingraham.
• Trump’s leadership has faced major criticism for ending certain programming, such as drag shows, and for labeling past honorees as 'radical left lunatics.'
• Prominent artists including Shonda Rhimes, Issa Rae, and Renée Fleming have severed ties with the Kennedy Center in protest of its new direction.
• Harvey Fierstein claims his works have been banned from the Kennedy Center, calling the changes an attack on free expression and civil rights.
• Public backlash has intensified, with Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha being booed at a recent Kennedy Center event, reflecting tensions over the institution's politicization.