Hamilton will no longer play the Kennedy Center next season in light of President Trump’s takeover of the institution.
The hit musical was set to perform at the Kennedy Center in March 2026, at what would have been the show’s third engagement at the theater. However, lead producer Jeffrey Seller cited the firings of the Kennedy Center president and the chairman of the board, as well as the cancellation of programming at the center, as reasons not to move forward.
“Given the recent actions, our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center,” Seller said in a statement.
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In February, Trump became chairman of the institution and ousted Democratic members of the Kennedy Center Board. The contract of Kennedy Center president Deborah F. Rutter was terminated, as was that of chairman David M. Rubenstein, after Trump had previously said he would fire the latter and install himself as chair.
Ric Grenell, who worked in the previous Trump administration, has been named interim executive director and said he plans to “make art great again,” with near-term plans to do “a huge celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas.”
Several notable names affiliated with the Kennedy Center resigned following the news, including Ben Folds, Renée Fleming and Shonda Rhimes. Issa Rae also canceled her show at the Kennedy Center.
Seller noted that the Kennedy Center had previously had bipartisan support and politics had not impacted the institution in the past. To that point, Hamilton had previously played the Kennedy Center in 2018, during the first Trump administration.
“We are not acting against his administration, but against the partisan policies of the Kennedy Center as a result of his recent takeover,” the statement reads.
However, the previous Trump administration did have a run-in with Hamilton. When Vice President Mike Pence attended the Broadway production, he was booed by audience members and was addressed during the curtain call by castmembers, who remarked on the diversity in the cast and called on the administration to protect all Americans.
Seller added that he was unsure whether the production of Hamilton at the Kennedy Center could have been abruptly canceled.
“Our cancellation is also a business decision. Hamilton is a large and global production, and it would simply be financially and personally devastating to the hundreds of employees of Hamilton if the new leadership of the Kennedy Center suddenly canceled or renegotiated our engagement. The actions of the new Chairman of the Board in recent weeks demonstrate that contracts and previous agreements simply cannot be trusted,” he said.
