The Trump-backed head of the Kennedy Center has called for a blacklist of artists who choose not to perform at the Washington, D.C. venue.
Ric Grenell, reacting Wednesday to headlines about cast members of Les Misérables who are planning to boycott the president’s scheduled appearance next month, demanded career-altering consequences for “vapid and intolerant artists.”
“Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed,” Grenell said in a statement to The New York Times.
“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,” he continued.
The right-wing takeover of the Kennedy Center saw Trump install himself as chairman, oust all of the nominees former President Joe Biden named to the board, and name his own his allies in their place. Yet that shouldn’t be a problem for artists, according to Grenell.
“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 enjoys a performance together,” he said.
Yet that’s not the way many see the historic institution.
“The Kennedy Center was not created in this spirit, and we’re not going to be a part of it while it is the Trump Kennedy Center,” Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda explained upon cancelling his own performances there. “We’re just not going to be part of it.”
Grenell’s call for a blacklist is the latest instance of his feud with Miranda.
Just yesterday, the Trump special envoy aired his grievances with ABC and American Idol for simply having Miranda mentor contestants. This, he complained, was “an obvious move to support political intolerance.”
Grenell even requested that Federal Communications Chairman Brendan Carr get involved, though what he could do about it remains unclear.
The post Kennedy Center Boss Wants to Blacklist Trump-Boycotting Stars of ‘Les Misérables’ appeared first on The Daily Beast.
