Drag-artist advocacy group Qommittee launches donor petition; Center threatens legal action against withdrawing artists

OtherEOP

Date
Actor
Qommittee (non-governmental); Richard Grenell, Kennedy Center president (responsive)
Agency
Executive Office of the President (EOP)
Type
Other
Section
SUPPLEMENT: THE KENNEDY CENTER TAKEOVER IS ABSENT FROM THE CULTURAL-INSTITUTIONS RECORD, THOUGH THE SMITHSONIAN, NEA, NEH, IMLS, AND NPS ACTIONS ARE ALL COVERED

Summary

Qommittee, a national drag-artist advocacy network, launches a petition urging Kennedy Center donors — collectively contributing nearly $100 million annually — to suspend funding until "artistic independence is restored," and to redirect support to banned or censored artists. Grenell responded to the parallel wave of artist withdrawals by threatening legal action, writing to one withdrawing performer that "Your decision to withdraw at the last moment ... is classic intolerance and very costly." Withdrawals in this period included jazz musician Chuck Redd's 20-year Christmas Eve concert, The Cookers' New Year's Eve set, and a New York dance company.

Status

Petition active as of early 2026; the boycott and cancellation pattern continued into 2026, contributing to the ticket-sales decline (43% of seats unsold September 3 – October 19, 2025, versus 7% in the same 2024 period).

As recorded in the data of . Check the sources for anything newer.

Sources