Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell slammed Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda for a "publicity stunt" he says targets Republican voters. (Getty Images)
"This latest action by Trump means it’s not the Kennedy Center as we knew it," Miranda and Seller told the New York Times in a joint statement. "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."
Seller claimed that Trump "took away our national arts center for all of us."
Producer Jeffrey Seller accepts the Tony award for Best Musical for "Hamilton" in 2016. (Getty Images)
"We have to do the big productions that the masses and the public want to see, we want to have really good programming," Grenell said in February at CPAC. "So the first thing that we’re doing… you’ve got to be at the Kennedy Center in December, because we are doing a big, huge celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas. How crazy is it to think that we’re going to celebrate Christ at Christmas with a big traditional production to celebrate what we are all celebrating in the world during Christmastime, which is the birth of Christ."
A BIDEN-ERA LEGAL WIN PAVED THE WAY FOR TRUMP'S KENNEDY CENTER BOARD FIRINGS
Miranda has not shied away from slamming the Trump administration in previous years, including saying on X in 2017 that Trump would be "going straight to hell" amid the administration's response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico that year.
Following the Trump-Pence election win in 2016, the cast of "Hamilton" also came under fire when it performed before then-Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Trump demanded the "Hamilton" cast apologize after calling on Pence to "uphold our American values" from the stage.
Ric Grenell told Fox Digital in February that the Kennedy Center has no cash on hand, and that he would work to roll out shows that actually sell tickets. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
TRUMP FIRES KENNEDY CENTER BOARD MEMBERS CITING DRAG SHOWS, APPOINTS HIMSELF CHAIRMAN
The performance, however, was put on the chopping block weeks before the center's leadership change and was canceled due to lack of ticket sales, Fox News Digital learned.
Grenell told Fox Digital in February that the Kennedy Center has no cash on hand, and that he would work to roll out shows that actually sell tickets.
"The Kennedy Center has zero cash on hand and zero dollars in reserves – while taking tens of millions of dollars in public funds," Grenell told Fox News Digital in February. "We must have programs that sell tickets. We can’t afford to pay for content that doesn’t at least pay for itself right now. I wish we didn’t have to consider the costs of production, but we do."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"The good news is that there are plenty of shows that are very popular, and therefore the ticket sales will pay for themselves," Grenell added.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hamilton-star-put-notice-trumps-kennedy-center-president-after-anti-gop-publicity-stunt