In early February, President Donald Trump fired the board of trustees at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and named himself chair. Then he installed former acting director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell to serve as the center's executive director.
By April, The New York Times was reporting at least a half-dozen government relations, marketing and social media staff members at the center were dismissed as Trump tightened his grip on the institution.
“Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured drag shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP,” Trump posted on Truth Social in February, arguing that the board of trustees and the chairman “do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
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MAGA Twitter accounts adored the news.
“Donald Trump told the board of the Kennedy Center "YOU’RE FIRED" lol,” said one February post. “He appointed himself as Chairman. Kid Rock will probably play there soon! Maybe Carrie Underwood! No more Drag Queens. Friday Night is going well.”
But that was February. This month the Center announced its upcoming season lineup — and appears to be presenting a legion of men dressed as women. Shows include ‘Chicago,’ ‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical,’ ‘Mrs. Doubtfire,’ and ‘Monty Python’s Spamalot’ — all notorious for drag.
“The Kennedy Center just released its 2025/26 schedule, and ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ is on it,” posted Mike Sington, retired senior executive at NBC Universal. “Who’s going to tell Trump?"
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“‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ coming to Kennedy Center despite Trump’s drag ban,” announced San Francisco Chronicle Arts and Culture columnist Tony Bravo.
Former PBS producer Stephen Hegg posted: “Trump took over Kennedy Center saying ‘no more drag queens.’ Coming this summer: the stage version of ‘Mrs. Doubtfire.'"
A Kennedy Center spokesperson told Deadline the decision to expand the lineup to shows like ‘Chicago’ and ‘Moulin Rouge’ was a matter of staying competitive.
“In order for the Kennedy Center to be more competitive in the industry, we are expanding our programming to include both equity and non-equity shows in our theaters and look forward to providing world-class shows to our patrons, regardless of their equity status,” Deadline reports.
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Grenell, who Trump installed mere months ago, told Deadline in a separate statement that: “The Kennedy Center is the premiere institution for the arts in America, so we don’t want to limit the shows available to our audiences. The restrictive and expensive nature of union-only shows isn’t good for a diverse community. We want more options, not fewer.”
Read the full report at Deadline.