WASHINGTON — The producer of “Hamilton” announced he is canceling a stint of performances of the hit Broadway musical set to run at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts next year in the wake of President Donald Trump’s overhaul of the board of the Washington cultural institution. 

What You Need To Know

  • The producer of “Hamilton” announced he is cancelling a stint of performances of the hit Broadway musical set to be put on at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts next year in the wake of President Donald Trump’s overhaul of the board of the Washington cultural institution
  • In a statement on Wednesday, the producer of the the Broadway megahit, Jeffrey Seller, sought to stress that the decision to hold off on the shows – scheduled for March 3 through April 26, 2026 – was not intended to be a protest to the Trump administration but rather solely about the president’s shake-up of the board
  • Richard Grenell – the president’s special missions envoy who was also tapped by Trump as interim executive director of the Kennedy Center after he announced he was firing members of the board of trustees and naming himself chairman last month – shot back at the announcement and specifically creator and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda on social media on Wednesday
  • The decision to cut the 2026 shows follows announcements from several other stars, such as Issa Rae, who have similarly cancelled events at the Washington art institution following Trump's shake-up

In a statement Wednesday, the producer of the the Broadway megahit, Jeffrey Seller, sought to stress that the decision to hold off on the shows — scheduled for March 3 through April 26, 2026 — was not intended to be a protest to the Trump administration but rather solely about the president’s shake-up of the board. He referred to the Kennedy Center as a “sacred” place that should be shielded from politics, pointing out that the production was put on at the location during Trump’s first term in 2018. 

“These actions bring a new spirit of partisanship to the national treasure that is the Kennedy Center,” Seller wrote of Trump’s overhaul. “Given these recent actions, our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center.” 

Richard Grenell — the president’s special missions envoy who was also tapped by Trump as interim executive director of the Kennedy Center after he announced he was firing members of the Board of Trustees and naming himself chairman last month — shot back at the announcement on social media on Wednesday. 

In a post on X in which he quoted the statement from Sellers, Grennell specifically called out “Hamilton” creator and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, writing that the American people need to see that he is “intolerant of people who don’t agree with him politically.”

“It’s clear he and Sellers don’t want Republicans going to their shows,” Grennell continued. “Americans see you, Lin.”

Along with being performed during Trump’s first term in 2018, the show was also put on at the Kennedy Center in 2022, when former President Joe Biden was in office. 

The decision to cut the 2026 shows follows announcements from several other stars, such as Issa Rae, who have similarly canceled events at the Washington art institution following Trump's shake-up.