“Hamilton,” the musical sensation about the titular Founding Father and the birth of the United States, will no longer play at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts amid President Trump’s new role as the chairman.
Trump announced in February that he intended to appoint himself chairman and immediately terminate members of the board of trustees “who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.” Days later, the newly appointed board, consisting of the president’s allies, voted to confirm him as the chairman.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and original star of “Hamilton,” said in an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday that he was preemptively canceling the show’s performance at the storied venue in response to Trump’s decision.
“This latest action by Trump means it’s not the Kennedy Center as we knew it,” Miranda said. “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. We’re just not going to be part of it.”
The show was slated to be performed at the Washington, D.C., venue from March 3 to April 26, 2026 as a part of the center’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
In a statement Wednesday to The Times, “Hamilton” producer Jeffrey Seller said the Kennedy Center was founded with “a sincere bipartisan spirit” — one he believes is now gone. “In recent weeks, we have sadly seen decades of Kennedy Center neutrality be destroyed,” he said.
He said the team behind the Tony-winning show, which debuted in 2015 and has previously played at the venue twice, could not “in good conscience participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center.”
Seller also clarified that the decision to cancel the performance was not a stance against the Trump administration but specifically “the partisan policies of the Kennedy Center as a result of his recent takeover.”
“Political disagreement and debate are vital expressions of democracy. These basic concepts of freedom are at the very heart of ‘Hamilton.’ However, some institutions are sacred and should be protected from politics. The Kennedy Center is one such institution,” Seller said.
In response to a request for comment, a representative for the Kennedy Center directed The Times to newly appointed President of the Kennedy Center Richard Grenell’s post on X.
“Seller and @Lin_Manuel first went to the New York Times before they came to the Kennedy Center with their announcement that they can’t be in the same room with Republicans,” Grenell wrote. “This is a publicity stunt that will backfire.
“The Arts are for everyone — not just for the people who Lin likes and agrees with. The American people need to know that @Lin_Manuel is intolerant of people who don’t agree with him politically. It’s clear he and Sellers [sic] don’t want Republicans going to their shows. Americans see you, Lin.”
Artists affiliated with the cultural center have stepped down from their roles, including TV mega-producer Shonda Rhimes, musician Ben Folds and opera star Renée Fleming. Meanwhile, actor and writer Issa Rae and rock band Low Cut Connie have canceled their performances.
Seller also said the decision to cancel the performance was business-related. If the show’s engagement was “suddenly cancelled or re-negotiated,” Seller said it would be “financially and personally devastating to the hundreds of employees of ‘Hamilton.’”
“The actions of the new Chairman of the Board in recent weeks demonstrate that contracts and previous agreements simply cannot be trusted,” Seller said. “This is sad, because basic integrity and the rule of law have long been great American principles that help serve as a foundation for our Nation.”
Seller concluded his statement by saying he and his colleagues “cannot presently support an institution that has been forced by external forces to betray its mission as a national cultural center that fosters the free expression of art in The United States of America.”
One of “Hamilton’s” previous engagements at the Kennedy Center took place during Trump’s first term. The production made headlines when the cast addressed then-Vice President Mike Pence, who attended a performance in 2016.
After the cast implored Pence to “uphold our inalienable rights” and said they hoped the show inspired him to “uphold our American values,” Trump said the cast should apologize.