The Kennedy Center is fighting back against a group of actors who threaten to close the curtain on Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, CNN reported that 10 out of the 12 actors in a “Les Misérables” tour group plan to boycott the Kennedy Center performance that Trump plans to attend. Kennedy Center director Richard Grenell has now delivered a seething response to the performers’ plan.
“We haven’t heard this rumor,” read a statement from Grenell to Entertainment Weekly. “But the Kennedy Center will no longer fund intolerance.”
Grenell was appointed interim director of the Kennedy Center back in February after Trump purged the historic venue’s former leadership and inserted himself as chairman of the board.
“Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed,” Grenell added. “In fact, we think it would be important to out those vapid and intolerant artists to ensure producers know who they shouldn’t hire — and that the public knows which shows have political litmus tests to sit in the audience.”
He continued, “The Kennedy Center wants to be a place where people of all political stripes sit next to each other and never ask who someone voted for but instead enjoy a performance together.”
Although Grenell preaches for an even political playing field, Trump has a slightly different vision for the Kennedy Center. In February, when he first announced his takeover of the organization, the President wrote on Truth Social, “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST.”
