The producers of hit musical “Hamilton” have canceled a planned 2026 engagement at the Kennedy Center due to the recent purge by the Trump administration of key staff and performing arts events. The decision, made in a statement from producer Jeffrey Seller, cites the center’s new leadership as the reason for its withdrawal.
Seller stated that the “spirit of nonpartisanship” ended with the firing of President Deborah Rutter, Chairman David Rubenstein, and numerous other Kennedy Center board members on February 7, 2025. The cancellation of these key staff and events was seen as a significant change to the center’s identity.
The Trump administration’s reasons for this purge were attributed to the Kennedy Center’s decision to host drag show performances at its venue. President Trump expressed his opposition to these performances in a Truth Social post, stating that the center should only feature “the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation.”
Seller said that the show could not participate in what they saw as a new culture being imposed on the Kennedy Center by the administration’s partisan policies. The statement highlighted that “Hamilton” had performed at the Kennedy Center in 2018 during Trump’s first term in office.
In response to the cancellation, interim President Richard Grenell criticized Sellers and Lin-Manuel Miranda, saying their decision was a publicity stunt that would backfire. He argued that the Arts should be inclusive of all people, regardless of political affiliation, and accused Miranda of being intolerant towards those who disagree with him politically.
Source: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/2025/03/06/hamilton-cancels-kennedy-center-shows-trump/81728352007