Five Democrat Senators hosted an LGBTQ Pride-themed concert at the Kennedy Center with the help of a Hamilton producer, turning a celebrated arts venue into a political protest against the Trump administration. The event drew criticism from the Center’s leadership for excluding dissenting voices and weaponizing the arts for partisan aims.
Key Facts:
- Five Democrat Senators — Hickenlooper, Baldwin, Rosen, Schatz, and Warren — hosted a concert titled “Love is Love” at the Kennedy Center on Monday.
- The concert was a Pride-themed event, framed as a protest against former President Trump.
- Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller organized the show, featuring Broadway performers and The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C.
- Seller and Lin-Manuel Miranda previously canceled a 2026 Kennedy Center performance of Hamilton in protest of Trump.
- Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell condemned the concert as a partisan stunt and criticized the exclusion of politically diverse audiences.
The Rest of The Story:
Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) led Monday night’s “Love is Love” concert at the Kennedy Center with participation from four other Democrat Senators.
Although the event was initially billed by Hickenlooper’s office as a talent show, it was later revealed to be a targeted political protest.
The performance was organized by Jeffrey Seller, the producer of Hamilton, who, along with Lin-Manuel Miranda, had canceled a 2026 show at the same venue to protest Trump.
The event took place in the Kennedy Center’s Justice Forum, a small 144-seat theater made available to members of Congress.
Seller’s concert featured various Broadway artists and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C.
Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell responded sharply, accusing the organizers of turning a national cultural institution into a stage for political performance.
“They’ve made it clear that they won’t perform for audiences that might contain Americans who disagree with them,” Grenell said.
He added that the Kennedy Center was “being used by political operatives to larp as victims of intolerance in order to get a story in the Times.”
Statement from Ambassador Richard Grenell, President of the Kennedy Center:
I'm disappointed to learn that Hamilton Producer @jseller and Hamilton Creator @Lin_Manuel are working with Democratic Senators and the New York Times to boycott the Kennedy Center, refusing to perform…
— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) June 23, 2025
Commentary:
Once again, rather than address the real issues facing Americans, Democrat politicians chose to stage a media moment.
Turning a taxpayer-supported arts venue into a billboard for identity politics and Trump protest is not leadership — it’s lazy political theater.
It accomplishes nothing substantive, and it insults those who support the arts regardless of their voting history.
There is no shortage of policy forums or campaign stops for lawmakers to voice their political opinions.
But hijacking the Kennedy Center — a symbol of national unity in the arts — cheapens its purpose.
Worse, calling it a “talent show” to gain access under misleading terms is a clear example of political gamesmanship.
The involvement of Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller and co-creator Lin-Manuel Miranda speaks volumes about how out-of-touch many elites in the entertainment industry have become.
They’ve gone from celebrating diverse audiences to now vetting them by political affiliation — a dangerous path for any creative endeavor.
Rather than supporting the arts for all, these performers have drawn a line between “acceptable” and “unacceptable” patrons.
This is divisive, exclusionary, and entirely inappropriate for a national cultural institution.
Grenell’s statement rightly pointed out the absurdity of “cosplaying as victims of intolerance” while actively promoting division.
Real artists bring people together.
They don’t lecture half the country from behind a velvet rope of moral superiority.
The Kennedy Center deserves better.
So do the families, students, and taxpayers who look to the arts to inspire, not divide.
If these senators and producers truly cared about unity, they’d be bridging gaps — not building barriers.
The Bottom Line:
A small group of Democrat Senators and Hollywood elites used the Kennedy Center to stage a political protest masquerading as a concert.
Their actions reflect a growing trend of using cultural institutions for partisan statements rather than public enrichment.
Rather than unite the public through the arts, this event drew lines and further politicized a space meant to be above the fray.
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