Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell pushed back against reports that cast members of Les Misérables are planning to boycott a performance attended by President Donald Trump next month, calling any such move “unprofessional” and a sign of “intolerance.”
“We haven’t heard this rumor,” Grenell said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “But the Kennedy Center will no longer fund intolerance. Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed.”
At least 10 to 12 cast members are reportedly planning to sit out the June 11 performance, which is the same night Trump is scheduled to attend a showing of the musical at the Washington, D.C.-based performing arts center.
Trump’s appearance will coincide with a fundraiser hosted at the Kennedy Center to benefit the institution.
According to the report, cast members were given the option to opt out of the show that evening. Both leading actors and ensemble performers are expected to participate in the boycott over the Trump administration’s politics.
Grenell, who was appointed to his role with the Kennedy Center earlier this year, dismissed the idea of politically motivated absences, calling them incompatible with the center’s mission.
“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 said.
Trump famously used music from Les Misérables in his 2016 campaign rallies despite the musical’s objections.
KENNEDY CENTER SHOWCASES DOLLY PARTON’S LEGACY IN BID TO ‘MAKE ART GREAT AGAIN’
Grenell emphasized to the Washington Examiner that the Kennedy Center aims to be a space where people of “all political stripes” can come together.
“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,” he told the Washington Examiner.