“Partisan Political Prank” at Kennedy Center sparks fury from Trump Ally, LN Board Member Richard Grenell

Kennedy Center head Richard Grenell lashed out on social media after five Democratic senators staged an invite-only Pride-month concert inside the storied arts complex Monday night. Grennell – a prominent ally of President Trump who was installed at the head of the arts institution earlier this year, then named to Live Nation Entertainment’s board of directors in May – slammed the event as a political stunt, criticizing the Senators involved, Lin Manuel Miranda and his Hamilton production partner Jeffrey Seller in a lengthy post on X shared via the Kennedy Center’s official channel.

Sens. John Hickenlooper (Colo.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) rented the 144-seat Justice Forum at the Center’s Reach expansion for a 90-minute program dubbed “Love Is Love.” Produced by Seller, the show featured Broadway veterans Javier Muñoz, Brandon Uranowitz and others performing LGBTQ-themed numbers from Falsettos, The Wild Party and more.

Hickenlooper called the evening “a celebration of freedom, self-expression and love” — and a pointed counter-message to former President Donald Trump’s February overhaul of the Kennedy Center, which replaced its bipartisan board and installed Grenell as president while Trump named himself chairman.

Within minutes of curtain, the lengthy statement from Grenell was posted, accusing Seller and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda (who was not present) of colluding with lawmakers for “a partisan political prank.” Grenell said Hickenlooper’s staff had described the booking as a “first-annual talent show” and that the senators were “larping as victims of intolerance” to generate headlines.

Statement from Ambassador Richard Grenell, President of the Kennedy Center:

I'm disappointed to learn that Hamilton Producer @jseller and Hamilton Creator @Lin_Manuel are working with Democratic Senators and the New York Times to boycott the Kennedy Center, refusing to perform…

— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) June 23, 2025

“We welcome everyone who wants to celebrate the arts… but not those who impose a political litmus test,” he wrote, adding that Miranda and Seller “won’t perform for audiences that might contain Americans who disagree with them.”

Performers onstage answered with a lyric-tweaked finale of “One Day More” from Les Misérables — reportedly one of Trump’s favorite shows — waving rainbow flags as they sang.

Artists vs. MAGA leadership

The flare-up is the latest clash between Grenell’s team and arts groups since Trump’s takeover. Hamilton canceled its 2026 run at the Center in March; other productions have followed suit. Monday’s concert, Seller told reporters, was intended to “re-occupy” the venue and assert that “you can’t ignore us.”

Grenell’s newly minted role on Live Nation’s board adds another wrinkle. The concert giant promotes tours for many artists who have publicly criticized Trump; meanwhile, the appointment of Grinnell and public embrace of President Trump’s executive order – all while his Department of Justice continues to pursue a massive antitrust lawsuit seeking to break the corporation and Ticketmaster apart – is difficult to envision as anything other than a play for sympathy within the administration.

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“It’s right in front of our eyes,” said Gary Witt, CEO of the Milwaukee-based Pabst Theater Group at the time of Grennell’s addition to Live Nation’s board. “One group is trying to buy its way out of the DOJ and 40 state attorneys general pursuing them.” Another executive called the hire “the most thinly veiled attempt to influence a legal proceeding that I’ve ever seen.”

For now, the “Love Is Love” singers have vacated the stage, but the spotlight on Grenell — and his high-profile links to both the Trump administration and Live Nation — is only growing brighter.