Several theater performers have reportedly thrown a tantrum and plan to run away from their roles in “Les Misérables” for a night simply because Donald Trump may be in the crowd.
Trump is expected to attend the June 11 show and that fact alone was enough to scare off a bunch of performers who had pledged their dedication to the production, sources told CNN. Insiders close to the situation said these artists apparently self-deported themselves from the Kennedy Performing Arts Center on June 11 despite rehearsals and the lead-up to the show scheduled in conjunction with a fundraiser to benefit the facility. At least 10 to 12 individuals, including both major cast members and members of the ensemble, are reportedly planning to scurry away.
US President Donald Trump laughs during a Medal of Freedom ceremony for Lou Holtz in the Oval Office of the White House on December 3, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
The scheduled show will be the first time Trump takes in a performance at the facility.
The decision emphasizes friction between the Trump administration and artists at the center after Trump appointed himself the chairman of the venue and shook up the program to reflect one that shunned a woke agenda.
Richard Grenell, the new director of the Kennedy Center, addressed the reported boycott in a statement issued to Entertainment Weekly.
“We haven’t heard this rumor,” he said. “But the Kennedy Center will no longer fund intolerance.”
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 17: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media alongside Richard Grenell, President of The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, during a guided tour of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts before leading a board meeting on March 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. After shunning the annual Kennedy Center Honors during his first term in the White House, Trump fired the center’s president, removed the bipartisan board of Biden appointees and named himself Chairman of the storied music, theater and dance institution. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed,” Grenell continued. “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.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Kennedy Center Breaks All-Time Attendance Record Amid Liberal Bellyaching Over ‘Trump Takeover’)
A number of artists and performers have saved Trump the trouble by independently abandoning their commitments at the venue, including Ben Folds, Renee Fleming, Shonda Rhimes, Low Cut Connie, Rhiannon Giddens, Issa Rae and the production team of the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning “Hamilton” musical.
