Interim President of the Kennedy Center Ric Grenell is calling for “tolerance” at the Kennedy Center after JD Vance got booed for his attendance at the National Symphony Orchestra.

Grenell took to social media and said, “This video should challenge us all to commit to making the Kennedy Center a place where everyone is welcomed. It troubles me to see that so many in the audience appear to be white and intolerant of diverse political views. Diversity is our strength. We must do better. We must welcome EVERYONE. We will not allow the Kennedy Center to be an intolerant place.”

The comments come after Grenell, in another post, used the words “radicals” and “intolerant” to label protestors that booed Vice President J.D. Vance during a concert for the National Symphony Orchestra. In that post, Grenell stated “The intolerant left are radicals who can’t even sit in the same room with people that don’t vote like they do.”

It also comes after President Trump fired the entire board and president of the Kennedy Center for “wokeness” and installed an entire board of loyalists.

Trump decided to take over the Kennedy Center so it no longer presented “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA.” It also comes after the Gay Men’s Chorus and “Finn,” two LGBT programs were allegedly canceled by the Kennedy Center with the artists not given previous notification.

Throughout history, audiences have protested and booed artists and productions over disagreements with artistic decisions or artists that are hired. Just look at the Metropolitan Opera’s 2009 production of “Tosca,” which was booed, or the many opening nights of the Teatro alla Scala which have seen several artists booed. Several Russian artists have also been protested over the War in Ukraine in the past three years.

This video should challenge us all to commit to making the Kennedy Center a place where everyone is welcomed.

It troubles me to see that so many in the audience appear to be white and intolerant of diverse political views. Diversity is our strength.

We must do better. We must… https://t.co/I2KuKIZuQ7

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) March 14, 2025