Donald Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, like all his recent actions, has been swift and overwhelming. After purging the institution’s Democrat-appointed members, he announced on Truth Social that he’d been “unanimously elected Chairman of the Board of the prestigious Kennedy Center.” Per CNN, the vote was not, in fact, unanimous: Certain board members abstained while others voted against him, but his more recent appointees gave him a majority.
In leaked audio from a phone call obtained by CNN, the president could be heard telling the new board that the center “got very woke-y and some people were not happy with it, and some people refused to go.” He added, “I think we’re going to make it hot. And we made the presidency hot, so this should be easy.”
This week, prominent artists have begun pulling out of their commitments to the center, with some coming forward to say they stand against Trump’s takeover. Shonda Rhimes officially resigned from her post as treasurer and member of the board of trustees, per Deadline. Alongside a screenshot of an Indiewire article announcing her departure, she shared a quote from the center’s namesake, John F. Kennedy: “If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.” She was first appointed to the board of trustees by Barack Obama in 2013, according to USA Today. Other artists, including opera singer and actor Renée Fleming and singer Ben Folds, have also left their posts. “Given developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning,” wrote Folds, who was the artistic adviser for the center’s National Symphony Orchestra. “Not for me.”
Artists who were set to perform at the Kennedy Center have also begun pulling out. In an Instagram Story posted yesterday, Issa Rae announced that she was canceling her sold-out Kennedy Center event, “An Evening With Issa Rae.” “Unfortunately, due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums, I’ve decided to cancel my appearance at this venue,” she wrote, adding a Trump meme in the next slide. The band Low Cut Connie has also canceled a planned performance for March.
Looks like a lot of Kid Rock lies in the Kennedy Center’s future.