Issa Rae cancels sold-out event at Kennedy Center following Trump takeover
Actress Issa Rae has canceled a sold-out show at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, citing “an infringement of values” at the venue after President Trump fired board members and installed himself as chairman this week.
Rae, the creator and star of HBO’s “Insecure,” announced on Instagram that she would no longer host her “An Evening with Issa Rae” event that was scheduled at the Washington, D.C., venue for March 16.
“Unfortunately, due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums, I’ve decided to cancel my appearance at this venue,” the actress said in the post.
She added that refunds would be issued for those who bought tickets.
On Wednesday, the newly constituted Kennedy Center Board voted unanimously to elect Mr. Trump to be the new chair of the venue, where the president has a goal of moving away from programming and performances that constitute what he views as “woke culture,” multiple sources told CBS News.
Rae isn’t the only performer who has dissociated herself from the performing arts center since Mr. Trump’s takeover. Shonda Rhimes, creator of the television shows “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” resigned from her post as treasurer. Singer-songwriter Ben Folds also stepped down as artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra.
“Given developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic advisor to the NSO,” he wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday. “Not for me.”
