Layoffs hit Kennedy Center again amid Trump's MAGA overhaul [View all]

Source: Raw Story

April 10, 2026 7:21PM ET


Layoffs continued Friday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as the nation’s premier arts institution prepares for a two-year shutdown tied to President Donald Trump’s MAGA-fied overhaul – which included a rebrand as the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”

Multiple people familiar with the cuts told the Washington Post that the programming department has been hit especially hard, with staff either terminated or reassigned as the center pivots away from traditional productions. “Everything is a rental now,” one person with knowledge of the situation told the outlet. “If it’s not making money, we don’t do it.”

Among those laid off were top leaders, including Ryan Hamilton, senior director of broadcast, comedy and special programming, and Sam Miller, senior director of music programming, the Post reported Friday. Both were brought in under former board president Richard Grenell, a Trump ally who previously led efforts to reshape the institution in the MAGA leader’s name before his firing.

The latest cuts follow an earlier round of layoffs that hit the storied arts institution just weeks ago, as leadership prepares for a July 7 closure that will last two years for renovations.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/kennedy-center-2676700489/