Broadway legend Patti LuPone has ignited controversy with her explosive comments about the Kennedy Center under President Donald Trump’s leadership, suggesting the prestigious arts venue “should get blown up.” LuPone’s also proposed that New York should consider seceding from the United States, highlighting the deepening cultural divide in America’s arts community. How does the Kennedy Center controversy reflect the broader vision of American art?
Broadway Star’s Incendiary Comments
Broadway veteran Patti LuPone has made headlines with her scathing criticism of President Donald Trump’s changes to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. During a recent interview with The New Yorker, LuPone repeatedly stated that the “Trumpified Kennedy Center should get blown up,” expressing her dismay over the institution’s new direction.
The controversy stems from Trump’s decision to fire several Kennedy Center board members and install himself as chairman, along with supporters in other leadership positions. These changes were announced by Trump on his Truth Social platform, where he declared his intention to make the center “great again” and eliminate certain programming, particularly drag shows that had been open to families.
Broadway’s Patti LuPone says Trump-led Kennedy Center ‘should get blown up’ https://t.co/xiRqIcHaDx pic.twitter.com/VkDAsJPH83
— New York Post (@nypost) May 28, 2025
Trump’s Kennedy Center Overhaul
President Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center has resulted in significant programming changes and sparked immediate backlash within the arts community. “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP,” Trump stated in his Truth Social announcement, signaling a clear shift in the institution’s cultural direction.
Richard Grenell, newly appointed president of the Kennedy Center, strongly condemned LuPone’s inflammatory rhetoric in a statement to the press. “The far left has morphed into violent extremists. This is completely unacceptable, from the same people who claim to be for tolerance and diversity. Everyone should condemn these radicals,” Grenell said in response to LuPone’s comments.
Broadway actress Patti LuPone calls for the Trump-led Kennedy Center to be blown up.
https://t.co/jAShxbTgK5— MRCTV (@mrctv) May 28, 2025
Growing Cultural Divide
LuPone’s frustration extends beyond the Kennedy Center situation to broader political sentiments. In the same interview, she advocated for New York to secede from the United States, stating “Leave New York alone” and emphasizing the city’s diversity and unique character as reasons it should be its own country.
This is not the first time LuPone has publicly criticized Trump, as she previously stated she would move to Ireland if he won the 2020 election and made headlines in 2017 for using a derogatory term to describe him at the Tony Awards. The White House has defended Trump’s actions at the Kennedy Center, with a spokesperson emphasizing the president’s commitment to revitalizing American arts and culture with programming that reflects traditional values.
Trump himself has framed the changes as positive for American culture, stating, “The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!” The controversy highlights the increasingly polarized views on the role of government in arts and culture, with artists like LuPone representing one extreme and the Trump administration representing another in the ongoing culture wars.