Kennedy Center Director Wants a Blacklist for "Les Mis" Performers Who Resist Trump, Here's My Response
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
"Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed. In fact, we think it would be important to out those vapid and intolerant artists to ensure producers know who they shouldn’t hire — and that the public knows which shows have political litmus tests to sit in the audience."
So this comment came from current Kennedy Center Director Richard Grenell. That tracks. A man with no real background in the arts, handpicked by Trump to politicize one of our country’s most important cultural institutions, now out here trying to shame artists for having…*checks notes… values. Let’s just say it plainly: Grenell is uniquely unqualified for this role, and his words make it painfully clear he doesn’t understand the first thing about what artists actually do—or why they matter.
For context: Donald Trump is expected to attend a high-profile fundraising event at the Kennedy Center this June, scheduled to coincide with a performance of Les Misérables. A dozen or so cast members from the touring production have made the choice to sit out that performance in protest, citing Trump’s dangerous rhetoric, regressive policies, and history of attacking marginalized communities. That personal, peaceful choice led to Grenell’s comment above, which reads more like a threat than a defense of the arts.
Now let me get this straight the current director of the Kennedy Center states that artists who take a personal stand against one of the most polarizing, rights-stripping political figures in recent history should be “outed” and blacklisted? For not wanting to perform for someone who spent his first term - and now his second term - demonizing immigrants, mocking the disabled, targeting LGBTQ+ Americans, and inciting an insurrection? That’s your definition of “professionalism”?
Let’s stop pretending this is about “political affiliation.” This isn’t someone skipping a show because a Republican mayor is in the house. This is about Donald Trump — a man who has openly attacked the values that so many artists, and frankly, humans, hold dear. Choosing not to perform for him isn’t vapid. It’s not intolerant. It’s principled.
And you know what’s actually unprofessional? Threatening working artists’ livelihoods for using their voice. Your call to “out” them is authoritarian nonsense. It's a veiled attempt to intimidate artists into silence. But here’s the thing — art is never neutral. Les Misérables literally centers on a revolution. It’s about moral courage, resistance, and standing up to systems that dehumanize people. These performers are doing exactly what the story demands of them — and if that makes some audience members uncomfortable, maybe they’re not really hearing the show at all.
Theatre has always been a mirror held up to society. That mirror doesn’t only reflect joy and beauty — it reflects injustice, hypocrisy, and oppression too. And artists have always been at the forefront of social change. Refusing to perform for someone who built his brand on cruelty and fear isn’t intolerance — it’s integrity. It’s having a spine. And in this case, it’s incredibly on brand for a show that literally ends with a plea for a better world.
You say these artists “won’t be welcomed”? That’s fine. There are plenty of stages, companies, and audiences who will welcome artists who stand up for something. Who understand that professionalism doesn’t mean obedience. Who value conviction over conformity.
Honestly, if you think theatre is supposed to be a warm bath of apolitical comfort, then Les Misérables is the wrong show for you. Go stream something else. But don’t act like these performers owe anyone — including Donald Trump — their labor, especially when his presence is a symbol of everything they’re standing against.
And let’s talk about this idea that productions should stay politically neutral. Neutrality in the face of oppression is not nobility — it’s complicity. Silence isn’t safety. It’s surrender. These artists aren’t turning their backs on professionalism. They’re embracing the deeper purpose of their craft: to provoke, to challenge, and yes, to resist when necessary.
The public doesn’t need a list of who’s “safe” to hire. Producers don’t need a blacklist. What the public and producers need are artists with courage. Artists who remember that theatre at its best isn’t just entertainment — it’s truth-telling with a spotlight.
So no, they shouldn’t be shamed or punished. They should be celebrated.
Because this isn’t just a boycott. It’s a modern-day barricade. And the people behind it are singing, loud and clear. Do you hear them?