Democratic senators host Pride concert at Kennedy Center to protest Trump takeover
Five Democratic senators joined forces with a "Hamilton" producer to stage a gay pride concert on Monday night in protest of President Donald Trump’s takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
The New York Times reported that Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado along with Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren rented the Justice Forum, a lecture hall within the Kennedy Center, for a 90-minute concert expected to feature "gay characters, gay culture, gay music and gay pride."
"What’s happening in the world is deeply concerning, but even in our darkest hours, we must continue to seek out the light," Hickenlooper said in a statement. "The L.G.B.T.Q. community has long embodied this resilience, maintaining joy and creativity in the face of adversity."
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The concert will be produced by Jeffrey Seller, the lead producer of "Hamilton" who described how he was asked to take part in "guerrilla theater" to the New York Times.
"This is our way of reoccupying the Kennedy Center," Seller said. "This is a form of saying, ‘We are here, we exist, and you can’t ignore us.’ This is a protest, and a political act."
Seller and "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda previously canceled a planned production of the popular rap musical at the Kennedy Center for 2026 in protest of the Trump administration.
The concert will feature several Broadway artists as well as the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, whose May performance at the Kennedy Center was canceled. Fox News Digital was told, however, that the decision came before the center’s leadership change due to lack of ticket sales rather than politics.
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In a comment to Fox News Digital, Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell said that Hickenlooper initially requested the space for what was billed as a "first annual Talent show." He said that it was not until the New York Times informed him that he learned about the protest.
"No one has been cancelled by the Kennedy Center; we welcome everyone who wants to celebrate the arts, including our compatriots on the other side of the political aisle. We especially welcome artists and audience members who come to the Kennedy Center not for partisan political pranks but to experience excellence in the performing arts," Grenell said.
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Fox News Digital also reached out to the five Democratic senators’ offices for comment.
In February, Trump fired several Kennedy Center board members, including the president and chairman, and replaced them with pro-Trump figures, who then named the president as chairman. Trump later appointed Grenell, who was the first openly gay Cabinet member after serving the first Trump administration, as president and interim executive director.
The article was updated to include a statement from Ric Grenell.