Exclusive: Kennedy Center responds to false claims about show cancellations

Mar 07, 2025

Lin-Manuel Miranda thrust the Kennedy Center into the spotlight with his dramatic cancellation of the upcoming Hamilton performance at the legendary American theater, which is now chaired by President Donald Trump and run by his longtime ally, Ric Grenell.

Despite the media outcry, “the only shows under the Kennedy Center programming umbrella that we have cancelled since February 12th were due to lack of sales or artist availability,” Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations told the Washington Reporter in an exclusive statement.

“In the spirit of transparency and due to the litany of misinformation being spread in the press, it is important to give the public a complete account of program cancellations over the last 6 months,” she added.

A review of the cancellations Daravi provided to the Reporter show that the viral attacks against the center are baseless.

The Kennedy Center is also rarely cancelling shows due to low ticket sales — despite concerns by some insiders that liberals in and around the Beltway would boycott shows during the Trump era, as Miranda announced he is doing. Only three shows, Megan Gallery, Shear Madness, and one show of Samhot were cancelled due to low ticket sales, according to Daravi.

Several of the other 26 cancellations were due to artist illness (Nadine Sierra), a fire or flood (one show of Macbeth), or lack of artist availability (RIOT!). Durthermore, shows from Maria João Pires and Bluey were merely postponed to the following season.

Grenell, for his part, sounds unphased by the one high-profile boycott the Kennedy Center has seen on his watch. “Let’s be clear on the facts,” Grenell said. “[Producer Jeffrey] Seller and Miranda first went to the New York Times before they came to the Kennedy Center with their announcement that they can’t be in the same room with Republicans. This is a publicity stunt that will backfire. “

“The Arts are for everyone — not just for the people who Lin likes and agrees with. The American people need to know that Lin is intolerant of people who don’t agree with him politically. It’s clear he and Sellers don’t want Republicans going to their shows.”