Kennedy Center staff describe climate of fear as events drop from calendar

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Kennedy Center staff describe climate of fear as events drop from calendar
Issa Rae became the first major artist to publicly cancel an upcoming show at the center after President Trump took over its board and leadership.

Updated
February 13, 2025 at 9:51 p.m. EST


The Kennedy Center’s Great Hall seen on Tuesday. (Craig Hudson/For the Washington Post)

By Travis M. Andrews, Manuel Roig-Franzia and Michael Andor Brodeur

The fallout from President Donald Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center’s board and purge of its leadership continued Thursday, as the center’s staff worried about the storied arts institution and shows began to disappear from its lineup.

Comedian, actress and Hollywood creator Issa Rae said on Instagram that she was pulling her sold-out show, “An Evening With Issa Rae,” from the slate of programming, becoming the first major artist to publicly cancel an upcoming show at the Kennedy Center. ... “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 that tickets will be refunded.

The cancellation comes the day after the new board of trustees installed Trump as its new chair, while also voting to terminate Deborah Rutter as president and making former acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell interim president.

After the shake-up, musician Ben Folds and opera singer Renée Fleming said they were stepping down as artistic advisers with the center, as did the treasurer of its board of trustees, TV producer Shonda Rhimes. ... The center terminated its general counsel and the head of its public relations department, according to people with close knowledge of the Kennedy Center who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared reprisal. The center’s new public relations staff did not immediately respond to questions about firings or most of the show cancellations.

{snip}

The White House released a full list of Trump’s new appointees Thursday. They are as follows:

• Donald J. Trump of Florida
• Pamela Gross of Florida
• Mindy Levine of New York
• Lynda Lomangino of Florida
• Allison Lutnick of New York
• Dan Scavino of New York
• Usha Vance of Ohio
• Susie Wiles of Florida
• John Falconetti of Florida
• Cheri Summerall of Texas
• Sergio Gor of Florida
• Emilia May Fanjul of Florida
• Patricia Duggan of Florida
• Dana Blumberg of New York

Hau Chu contributed to this report.