Kennedy Center chief blames “woke mob” for Béla Fleck cancelling his performance
Kennedy Center interim president Richard Grenell has condemned Grammy-winner Béla Fleck for cancelling a performance at the venue due to Donald Trump.
Fleck shared the news of the cancellation on his social media channels on January 6th, telling his followers, “I have withdrawn from my upcoming performance with the NSO at The Kennedy Center.”
His message continued, “Performing there has become charged and political, at an institution where the focus should be on the music.”
Fleck had been due to perform alongside the National Symphony Orchestra. He concluded by writing, I look forward to playing with the NSO another time in the future when we can together share and celebrate art.”
In response, Grenell took to X on January 6th to vent his frustration, writing in response to Fleck’s initial post, “You just made it political and caved to the woke mob who wants you to perform for only Lefties. This mob pressuring you will never be happy until you only play for Democrats.”
He then claimed that he doesn’t want the Kennedy Center to be a political institution, stating, “The Trump Kennedy Center believes all people are welcome – Democrats and Republicans and people uninterested in politics.”
Grenell concluded his message to Fleck, “We want performers who aren’t political – who simply love entertaining everyone regardless of who they voted for.”
Last week, Wicked composer Steven Schwartz, who was due to host the Washington National Opera Gala at the Kennedy Center on May 16th, confirmed he will no longer be participating in the event after it was renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center.
“It no longer represents the apolitical place for free artistic expression it was founded to be,” he explained, before adding, “There’s no way I would set foot in it now.”
Since Trump returned to the White House to begin his second term in 2025, he overhauled the Kennedy Center by appointing a new board with Grenell at the helm. Even before the name change, notable entertainers such as Issa Rae, Peter Wolf, and Lin-Manuel Miranda had cancelled performances.
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