Actor Harvey Fierstein claims his shows are banned from Kennedy Center, but venue head calls it 'total lie'
Film and Broadway veteran Harvey Fierstein alleged that his shows have been "banned" from the Kennedy Center since President Donald Trump's "takeover" of the storied performing arts venue.
Fierstein, who has won four Tonys for his stage work in addition to appearing in numerous movies and shows, has been in several shows performed at the Kennedy Center.
In January, Trump fired members of the center's Board of Trustees and announced he had been elected board chair by his new handpicked board. Fierstein claimed that, as a consequence, some of his shows are no longer welcome.
"A few folks have written to ask how I feel about Trump's takeover of The Kennedy Center. How do you think I feel?" Fierstein wrote on Instagram. "The shows I've written are now banned from being performed in our premiere American theater. Those shows, most of which have been performed there in the past, include, KINKY BOOTS, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, TORCH SONG TRILOGY, HAIRSPRAY, SAFE SEX, CASA VALENTINA, SPOOKHOUSE, A CATERED AFFAIR, THE SISSY DUCKLING, BELLA BELLA and more."
Bill Maher Rips Left's 'Exclusionary Attitude' As 'Hamilton' Cancels Shows At Trump-backed Kennedy Center
"I have been in the struggle for our civil rights for more than 50 years only to watch them snatched away by a man who actually couldn't care less," Fierstein continued. "He does this stuff only to placate the religious right so they'll look the other way as he savages our political system for his own glorification."
Read On The Fox News App
Later in the post, Fierstein claimed Trump was attacking free speech.
"He attacks free speech," Fierstein said. "He attacks the free press. He attacks America's allies. His only allegiance is to himself – the golden calf. My fellow Americans I warn you – this is NOT how it begins. This is how freedom ENDS! Trump may have declared 'woke' as dead in America. We must prove him wrong. WAKE THE HELL UP!!!!!"
Whoopi Declares She 'Has No Plans To Go' To Kennedy Center After Trump Becomes Chairman Of Venue
Kennedy Center interim Executive Director Richard Grenell disputed Fierstein's allegation on X, calling it fiction.
"This is a total lie," Grenell wrote. "Whoever told you this (because you obviously didn't do your own research) should be fired from your team for purposefully making you look foolish."
He also noted that he, too, has been in the decades-long fight for equality and proudly served as the first openly gay U.S. Cabinet official during the first Trump administration, as the acting Director of National Intelligence.
Kennedy Center Director Encourages Republican Attendance, Says 'Everyone Is Welcome'
Several artists have distanced themselves from the Kennedy Center following Trump's move. Actress Issa Rae canceled her shows at the center, while other celebrities like "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes and musician Ben Folds quit their positions at the venue.
The producers of Broadway's "Hamilton" pulled out of a planned run there next year.
"Our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center," producer Jeffrey Seller said earlier this month.
Grenell has previously said that his goal is to make the theater "prosperous" again and to welcome everyone.
"The Kennedy Center is the premier arts institution in the United States," Grenell told Fox News Digital last week. "It deserves to have the public's full support and a balance sheet that is solid."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Fierstein for further comment but did not immediately receive a response.Original article source: Actor Harvey Fierstein claims his shows are banned from Kennedy Center, but venue head calls it 'total lie'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
MGK Searches for the ‘American Dream' in New Album Trailer Seemingly Narrated by Bob Dylan
MGK's next album will be a tribute to Americana, and it seems that he tapped one of the subculture's biggest heroes, Bob Dylan, to narrate the project's trailer. In a clip previewing the August-slated LP posted Tuesday (June 10), a voice sounding very familiar to Dylan's can be heard reading a description of the rapper-turned-rocker's Lost Americana, calling it 'a personal excavation of the American dream.' More from Billboard MGK Talks Working With Lil Wayne on 'Alone In The Studio With My Gun,' Has Two Albums Coming & More | BET Awards 2025 Quincy Jones Remembered by Lucky Daye, Luke James & Miles Caton With Smooth 2025 BET Awards Tribute Jamie Foxx Honored by Stevie Wonder & Reflects on Health Scare at BET Awards: 'You Can't Go Through Something Like That & Not Testify' 'It's a sonic map of forgotten places, a tribute to the spirit of reinvention and a quest to reclaim the essence of American freedom,' the Dylan-esque drawl says over fuzzy shots of MGK smoking, riding motorcycles, hanging out with friends, taking in a mountainous landscape in awe and walking the Las Vegas strip. 'From the glow of neon diners to the rumble of the motorcycles, this is music that celebrates the beauty found in the in-between spaces. Where the past is reimagined, and the future is forged on your own terms.' MGK further teased that Dylan is in fact the featured voice by cheekily writing in the video's caption, 'narrated by …' without revealing any names. Later, the 'My Ex's Best Friend' artist not-so-randomly shared a black-and-white photo of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer on Instagram Stories Tuesday. Billboard has reached out to Dylan's reps for comment. Arriving Aug. 8, Lost Americana will mark MGK's seventh studio album, following 2022's Billboard 200-topper Mainstream Sellout. Leading up to its release, the artist born Colson Baker has dropped singles 'Your Name Forever' and 'Cliche,' which followed his 2024 collaborations with Jelly Roll, 'Lonely Road' and 'Time of Day.' And while a collaboration with the famously elusive Dylan might seem random, the Lost Americana trailer wouldn't be the first time he and MGK's worlds have collided (assuming that it really is the legend's voice in the narration). In February, Dylan left fans confused when, without explanation, he posted an old video of the 'I Think I'm Okay' artist rapping in a Florida music store in 2016 on Instagram. Whether that was Dylan's way of declaring that he's a fan of MGK or just a random moment, the younger musician was amused by the post. 'you having a phone is so rad,' MGK commented at the time. See MGK's Lost Americana trailer, seemingly featuring the voice of Bob Dylan, below. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Boston Globe
10 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Is Trump's troop deployment in LA a prelude to martial law?
Neither did Hegseth announced that National Guard members and the Marines will stay in Los Angeles for Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up At a Advertisement This is a Trump made-for-TV spectacle of authoritarianism disguised as law and order. It's likely a prelude to martial law. Rob Bonta, California's attorney general, is Advertisement Protests were sparked last week after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials conducted several workplace raids in Los Angeles, including a But what began as boisterous but peaceful protests against Trump's anti-immigrant scheme which now demands 'If I didn't ''SEND IN THE TROOPS,'" Trump said Tuesday on social media, Los Angeles 'would be burning to the ground right now,' before he disparaged Bass and Newsom. Yes, there has been looting, and some cars have been burned and vandalized. But Trump is lying about the extent of lawlessness. Trump is following his bad policies with even worse provocations that could portend a modern-day Kent State tragedy with soldiers firing live bullets at protesters. But for Trump, the more chaos, the better. As a White House official said, 'We're happy to have this fight.' To some extent this fight to suppress dissent has been boiling in Trump for five years. During nationwide demonstrations after the police murder of George Floyd in 2020, Trump, then in his first term, asked members of his Cabinet whether protesters could be shot. 'He thought that the protests made the country look weak, made us look weak, and 'us' meant him,' Mark Esper, Trump's former defense secretary, Advertisement Esper recalled Trump saying to now-retired General Mark Milley, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ''Can't you just shoot them, just shoot them in the legs or something?' … It was a suggestion and a formal question. And we were just all taken aback at that moment as this issue just hung very heavily in the air.' Ultimately, Trump was talked out of it. That won't happen this time, with an administration packed with people whose only loyalty is to him, not to the Constitution or rule of law. After Tom Homan, Trump's bloviating border czar, If not for the ICE arrest of But not now. Everything in Trump's second administration is designed to codify his authoritarianism. If Trump can convince enough people, especially among his white base, that he alone represents the thin orange line between civilization — as Advertisement Right now, the administration claims the military is in Los Angeles to protect federal buildings and assets — theoretically. Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act, but neither has he ruled out unleashing US troops on protesters. With his draconian policies, Trump has lit the fuse for what could be a long and difficult summer of protests. With an occupying military force in this nation's second largest city, he has declared war against America itself. Renée Graham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
Boston Globe
10 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
US imposes sanctions on a Palestinian NGO and other charities, accusing them ties to militant groups
The federal government claims that Addameer 'has long supported and is affiliated' with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a secular, left-wing movement with a political party and an armed wing that has carried out deadly attacks against Israelis. Israel and the United States have labeled the PFLP a terrorist organization. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Addameer did not immediately have a comment on the sanctions. Advertisement Israel has alleged that Addameer funds terrorism, a claim that the United Nations previously said it could not support with compelling evidence. In a 2022 The organization also works with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and is a member of the World Organization Against Torture. Israel's 2022 storming of Addameer's offices, prompted a rebuke from the UN, who said in a statement that Israel had not provided convincing evidence to support the claim. The UN said Addameer was conducting 'critical human rights, humanitarian and development work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.' Advertisement In February, Zachor Legal Institute, an Israeli-American advocacy group that says it focuses on combatting antisemitism and terrorism, requested Addameer be added to Treasury's sanctions list. Marc Greendorfer, president of Zachor Legal Institute said in an email to the Associated Press that his group is 'very pleased to see Treasury following up on our request.' He said the federal government should act 'to prevent hostile foreign actors from spreading hate and violence in the United States. We applaud Treasury's action and encourage Treasury to expand its focus to the other groups that we identified.' Other entities hit with sanctions Tuesday include: The Gaza-based charity Al Weam Charitable Society and its leader The Turkish charity Filistin Vakfi and its leader El Baraka Association for Charitable and Humanitarian Work and its leader The Netherlands-based Israa Charitable Foundation Netherlands and two employees The Italy-based Associazione Benefica La Cupola d'Oro A Because the majority of crowdfunding activity is legitimate, 'this status can make it more difficult for law enforcement attempting to investigate potential (terrorist financing) cases with a crowdfunding and online fundraising nexus,' the report said. Frankel reported from Jerusalem.
