Politics'None of Us Want to Be a Part of This Mess!': 'Les Misérables' Cast Members Boycott Event After Donald Trump Plans to Attend Performance at Kennedy Center
Some cast members plan to boycott a performance of 'Les Misérables' at the Kennedy Center after Donald Trump revealed he will attend.
President Donald Trump announced he will attend a Kennedy Center performance of Les Misérables on June 11 for a fundraiser, and many cast members have shared they will be sitting the performance out.
Cast Members Speak Out
Cast member Jake David Smith responsed to Donald Trump attending the show, noting it's 'happening... against our will.'
Cast member Jake David Smith took to his Instagram Story to share the cast of the show did “not ask to be politicized.”
“This is happening to us against our will,” he wrote. “We’re trying to move through and past this in whatever feel [sic] safest as individuals and as a community. I love my cast. I love my company. I stand with them. Take a second before reaching out and bombarding people with questions they may not have answers to.”
Steve Czar, who is also part of the company, said the show has been “doing everything it can” to make it happen at the Kennedy Center “while also allowing space for cast members to make incredibly difficult decisions.”
The June 11 performance of 'Les Misérables' at the Kennedy Center will be attended by Donald Trump.
“Some of us are doing the show, some of us aren’t,” he continued. “And believe me none of us want to be a part of this mess. But we are a family supporting one another’s choices and protecting the livelihood of our fellow actors and our future bringing this story around the country.”
He went on to note he and some of the other actors participating in the performance Trump is attending will be donating their salaries to causes they believe are doing “great work in this world.”
“We will also be performing a cabaret while in DC to support Broadway Cares,” he added. “We are all finding what we see as the best way to handle this impossible situation and ensure that the highest quality product still is delivered as dictated by our contracts.”
- 'F--- Donald Trump': Kennedy Center Worker Fired After Sharing Naked Monologue on YouTube Protesting the President
- Whoopi Goldberg 'Stands Behind' Carrie Underwood's Choice to Perform at Donald Trump's Inauguration But Admits She Won't Be Watching
- Take That, Trump! Rosie O'Donnell May Get Kennedy Center Honor Under Biden's Presidency
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Some cast members still plan to perform when Donald Trump attends 'Les Misérables.'
Kaitlyn Sumner, who is another cast member, posted a clip of an interview with Patti LuPone.
In the clip, LuPone is asked, “Why should President Trump come see your show?” “Well I hope he doesn’t, because I won’t perform if he does," she replied, adding she hates “the motherf------.”
Patti Lupone said she 'hates the motherf-----' in regards to Donald Trump.
Richard Grenell Responds
Richard Grenell, the director of the Kennedy Center, said they will 'no longer fund intolerance.'
Cast members boycotting this performance of the show comes fresh on the heels of Trump making himself the chairman of the Kennedy Center and naming Richard Grenell as the center’s director.
In a statement about the boycott, Grenell claimed he wasn’t aware of any cast members sitting out for the performance Trump was attending, adding the Kennedy Center will “no longer fund intolerance.”
“Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed,” Grenell elaborated. “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. The Kennedy Center wants to be a place where people of all political stripes sit next to each other and never ask who someone voted for but instead enjoys a performance together.”
