The head of the Kennedy Center, who was installed by President Donald Trump, has demanded an investigation into its “criminal debt.”
Richard Grenell has referred the Kennedy Center to federal prosecutors over its deferred maintenance and debt after a review “found $26 million in phantom revenue, fake revenue,” The New York Times reported.
The figures are from an audit by Donna Arduin, the center’s new chief financial officer, though it was not immediately clear what dealings she thought warranted a criminal investigation. It is common for arts venues such as the Kennedy Center to operate at a deficit when they fall short of projected earnings.
Grenell was installed as president of the Kennedy Center in February after Trump fired incumbent Deborah F. Rutter.
Trump also removed the Center’s Chairman, David M. Rubenstein, and awarded himself the position, vowing to make the venue “non-woke.”
A spokesperson for Rubenstein defended the financier’s management of the Kennedy Center. “With full transparency, the financial reports were reviewed and approved by the Kennedy Center’s audit committee and full board as well as a major accounting firm,” he said, The New York Times reported.
The Republican president’s first act as chairman was to ban drag shows at the venue—though the center’s 2025-26 season program announced Monday boasts performances of Chicago, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Monty Python’s Spamalot, all of which typically feature actors in drag.
Several high profile actors have refused to perform at the venue in response to Trump’s ideological changes, among them a production of Hamilton which cancelled their planned run.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which is usually a mainstay of the center’s program, said it would not appear during the ballet season. Instead, the company said it will “pursue an opportunity with a partner that has a global reach,” without providing details.
Actors have also spoken out over Trump’s changes to the Kennedy Center. Last week Robert De Niro used his acceptance speech at the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or lifetime achievement award to rip into the president.
“America’s philistine president has had himself appointed head of one of our premier cultural institutions,” De Niro said. “He has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities and education.”
He added: “The arts are democratic. Art is inclusive. It brings people together, like tonight. Art looks for truth. Art embraces diversity. And that’s why art is a threat. That’s why we are a threat to autocrats and fascists.”
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