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Shonda Rhimes resigns from Kennedy Center board, Ben Folds quits as NSO artistic adviser amid Trump takeover

Story by Shania Russell

"Not for me," Folds wrote in his resignation announcement.

As President Donald Trump takes power at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, several creatives are stepping back.

On Wednesday, the Kennedy Center announced that Trump had been elected as the board's chair, news that the president was quick to celebrate with a post on Truth Social. "It is a Great Honor to be Chairman of The Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing Board of Trustees," read his statement. "We will make The Kennedy Center a very special and exciting place!"

Within hours, Grey’s Anatomy showrunner and Shondaland CEO Shonda Rhimes resigned from her board position as treasurer of the arts institution.

Reps for the Rhimes declined to comment further on the decision.

These developments come days after the Trump administration officially removed 18 board members  — who had been appointed by former President Joe Biden — including then-board chairman, David M. Rubenstein and the center's longtime president, Deborah F. Rutter. While the organization's board has historically been bipartisan, it is now made up entirely of Trump appointees, including the president’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles and Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President J.D. Vance.

Rhimes was not alone in her decision to back away from the Trump-led organization, with singer-songwriter Ben Folds announcing his own resignation as artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra.

"Given the developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic advisor to the NSO. Not for me," Folds wrote on Instagram. He went on to thank his various collaborators at the Kennedy Center, writing, "Above all, I will miss the musicians of our nation’s symphony orchestra — just the best.”

Grammy-winning soprano Renée Fleming also submitted her resignation, announcing that she will be stepping down as an artistic adviser to the Center. She praised the organization's departing leaders, writing that “out of respect, I think it right to depart as well.”

She continued, "I've treasured the bipartisan support for this institution as a beacon of America at our best… I hope the Kennedy Center continues to flourish and serve the passionate and diverse audience in our nation’s capital and across the country."

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Located in Washington D.C., the  Kennedy Center oversees the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, welcoming over 2 million visitors each year for about 2,000 performances. The center also bestows the Kennedy Center Honors each year to five artists or groups of artists for their lifetime contributions to the performing arts.

"I want to make sure it runs properly," Trump said, arguing, "We don’t need woke at the Kennedy Center. Some of the shows were terrible. They were a disgrace that they were even put on. So I’ll be there until such time as it gets to be running right."

In a series of Monday social media posts, Trump complained, "just last year, the Kennedy Center featured drag shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP."

He additionally praised his interim executive director appointee Richard Grenell, writing that the former Trump ambassador to Germany "shares my Vision for a GOLDEN AGE of American Arts and Culture" and will eliminate any more "ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA" in the center's programming.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly