For the first time ever, the new head of the Kennedy Center board stepped inside the building to preside over the most recent board of trustees meeting.

The major topic of discussion was the annual Kennedy Center Honors…and his hosting the gala event.

He opened the meeting by saying, “I’ve been so busy, I haven’t been able to be here for a long time.  And I shouldn’t be, with what I’m doing.”

The board has decided to expand the committee who is responsible for selecting the annual Honourees and threw out a number of names including Paul Anka, Sylvester Stallone, Johnny Mathis and Andrea Bocelli.  One board member noted, “we’re expanding the committee so that the search for the Kennedy Center Honors is more inclusive.”

Kennedy Center Honors recipients in the past have been selected on more than just a life of entertainment; but also their humanitarian efforts, and their influences of popular culture and their fellow artists.

While the Honors are not presented posthumously; the names Elvis Presley and Babe Ruth can not be considered.  “Elvis sells better as a dead man,” he said.

Luciano Pavarotti was also mentioned; but he was honoured in 2001.

 The suggestion was also made to expand the KCH to include politicians, executives and athletes.

Never having attended a Kennedy Center Honors event, he was not kind to current members saying, “in the past, I mean, these are radical left lunatics that have been chosen. I didn’t like it. I couldn’t watch it. And the host was always terrible.”

He added, “we’ll go slightly more conservative, if you don’t mind, with some of the people.  There are people out there that would not be considered that are much bigger stars than the ones that were being honored.  Just get some good people, some people who are worthy.  Because some of the people that they put on are just, just terrible.”

Previous KCH recipients include Johnny Carson, Steven Spielberg, Sir Paul McCartney George Clooney, the Irish rock band U2, Tom Hanks, Sting, Al Pacino, Mavis Staples, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Frances Ford Coppola, Led Zeppelin, Arturo Sandoval, the Grateful Dead, Billy Crystal, Renee Fleming (who has since resigned as an artistic advisor), Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, Dionne Warwick, the characters of ‘Sesame Street’, and Queen Latifah.

Apparently not satisfied with any aspect of the Honors, the suggestion was made to have the various networks bid for the right to air the event.  CBS has always been the home of the annual KCH event.

Claiming the small amount of money the Kennedy Center receives from the federal government – $45 million of the $268 million budget in 2024 -, “has not been properly spent,” he wants to bring in some Broadway shows.  The Kennedy Center routinely hosts national tours of Broadway productions; mentioning by name “Hello Dolly”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “Cats”, “Camelot”, and “Fiddler on the Roof”.  None of those musicals are currently running on Broadway.

After the recent hostile takeover, Lin-Manual Miranda cancelled an upcoming performance of “Hamilton”.

Board members are also looking to bring in “non-equity shows” to “make a lot more money”.  Non-equity shows are productions that do not include members of the actor’s union the Actors’ Equity Association.

As a part of the hostile takeover last month, every non-Republican board member was fired and only loyal supporters were included.  Supporter and ally Richard Grenell has been named the Kennedy Center president.

The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 and completed an expansion in 2019; but board members and White House staff claim the Center is “in tremendous disrepair due ot bad management”, “filthy” and “smelled like vomit”.  One report was that they saw rats.

Portraits of the President, Vice-President, and their spouses have been installed in the Hall of Nations.

After the Vice-President and his wife were booed as the took their seats for a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra, new Kennedy Center president sent an email to staff members that included, “received several messages from Kennedy Center staffers sharing their embarrassment over more than a few Symphony patrons loudly booing the Vice President and his wife last night.”

He added, as President, I take diversity and inclusion very seriously,” he wrote. “I have met with many of you, and I love that we are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, agnostic, gay, straight, black, white, Hispanic and absolutely different.”

Since the take over several artists have cancelled performances due to the lack of diversity.