Journalist Katie Couric has found herself in MAGA’s crosshairs after calling out what she described as President Donald Trump’s “disgraceful” takeover of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Since taking office in January, Trump has drawn criticism for labeling the cultural institution “woke,” installing himself as chairman, firing more than a dozen Joe Biden-appointed board members, and replacing them with MAGA loyalists including his chief of staff Susie Wiles, JD Vance’s wife Usha, and Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham.
Couric joined the chorus of critics on Sunday when she commented on an Instagram post featuring members of the “Kennedy Center family” at an opera event on Saturday.
“This is so sad. I grew up going to the Kennedy Center which was about 20 minutes from our house in Arlington,” wrote the former Today anchor. “What they’ve done to it is a disgrace.”
Her remarks sparked backlash from Trump loyalists, including Richard Grenell, a former Trump ambassador to Germany and the man the president installed to execute his vision for the Kennedy Center.
“We didn’t cancel a single show. Your team couldn’t perform for Republicans. They cancelled,” he wrote.
Grenell and his colleagues escalated the online feud on Monday, using the Kennedy Center’s official social media accounts to go on a posting spree.
“The Kennedy Center is for EVERYONE. That includes Mrs. Couric,” an Instagram post from the Kennedy Center reads.
Couric, in turn, responded: “This is hilarious. And Mrs. Couric to you.”
The Kennedy Center is for EVERYONE.That includes Mrs. Couric“Katie Couric starts bizarre fight with opera after DC’s Kennedy Center was taken over by MAGA” https://t.co/O4b84o2xW5
— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) August 25, 2025
Grenell, who doubles as Trump’s Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions—a role created just for him—wrote on his own X page: “[Couric] is so mad that everyone is welcome.”
. @katiecouric is so mad that everyone is welcome at the @kencen. @DailyMail https://t.co/68KMqfYlpE
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) August 25, 2025
Grenell has previously come under fire for neglecting his duties at the Center and “only occasionally [being present] at the Kennedy Center.”
However, his alleged lack of presence hasn’t stopped him from collecting an annual salary of $175,000, per tax records.
The Center has continued to attract attention and controversy. In June, the president and First Lady Melania Trump attended the Center’s opening night of Les Misérables, one of the president’s favorites (his favorite is Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Cats).
The couple was met with both boos and jeers from the crowd, including one woman who yelled “Convicted felon, rapist!” and was promptly escorted out by security.
Last month, two separate GOP bills proposed renaming the center after Melania Trump and President Trump, respectively. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened on September 8, 1971 as a “living memorial” to the 35th President of the United States.
The Daily Beast has reached out to both Couric and the Kennedy Center for comment.
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