‘Hamilton’ cancels its Kennedy Center show for one very big Donald Trump-sized reason

Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has announced the cancellation of shows at the Kennedy Center, following Donald Trump’s takeover of the arts institution In case you missed it, the president recently fired the leadership team involved in the Kennedy Center and put MAGA loyalist Richard Grenell in charge of the beloved venue.

After that, Trump himself was named the Kennedy Center’s new chairman, and he expressed a desire to change much of its programming and “make it hot.” Now, Miranda has pulled Hamilton from the art institution’s program, ahead of a run of shows set to kick off in the venue throughout March and April of next year. 

‘Hamilton’ has canceled its show at the Kennedy Center following Donald Trump’s takeover as chairman. pic.twitter.com/6JJdQijICc

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 5, 2025

“This latest action by Trump means it’s not the Kennedy Center as we knew it,” Miranda said of the decision in an interview with The New York Times. “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.” For his part, Hamilton’s lead producer Jeffrey Seller said in his statement that the show “simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center.”

A statement from Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller. pic.twitter.com/yTLlrzFAHW

— Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) March 5, 2025

“We are not acting against his administration, but against the partisan policies of the Kennedy Center as a result of [Trump’s] recent takeover,” he added. Hamilton first played in the Kennedy Center in 2018 during Trump’s first term, and again in 2022 when Joe Biden was president. Since it is now cancelled at that venue, Miranda and Seller said they are hoping to find new theaters for a run of Hamilton shows within the Washington DC area. 

BREAKING: Issa Rae cancels next month’s event at the Kennedy Center in DC.

The media mogul, who hosted events at the center back in 2022 called President Trump’s newly elected position as a chair member of the center, “an infringement.” pic.twitter.com/HZ54qZpIKi

— Jade (@JadeALawson) February 13, 2025

Hamilton is not the only show that was canceled in the wake of Trump’s Kennedy Center upheaval. Actor Issa Rae cancelled her own appearance at the venue slated for later this month, saying in an Instagram post that Trump is an “infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums.”

Elsewhere, singer-musician Rhiannon Giddens, author Louise Penny, and rock band Low Cut Connie likewise pulled out of scheduled Kennedy Center events, while singer-songwriter Victoria Clark took to the venue’s stage wearing a T-shirt that read “ANTI TRUMP AF.” 

Tonight, VP-Elect Mike Pence attended #HamiltonBway. After the show, @BrandonVDixon delivered the following statement on behalf of the show. pic.twitter.com/Jsg9Q1pMZs

— Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) November 19, 2016

It marks the most recent time Hamilton has taken a stand against Trump. In 2016, the cast of the musical delivered a curtain call plea to then-Vice President Mike Pence, who was in the audience at the New York City show. They asked the Trump administration to “uphold our American values” and “work on behalf of all of us,” and Pence was heard being booed by fellow theatergoers. 

Explaining his takeover of the institution last month, Trump said he had “decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.” As for the future of the institution’s programming, Trump said there will be “no more drag shows or other anti-American propaganda.”