US EditionArtists, Celebrities Protest Outside Kennedy Center Against Trump Takeover
Jane Fonda led a rally with artists and journalists to oppose President Trump's control of the Kennedy Center and warn against censorship and media consolidation.
- On Friday, actress Jane Fonda led artists, journalists, and musicians in a rally outside the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., protesting President Donald Trump's takeover of the institution and warning against media consolidation.
- President Trump overhauled the center's leadership in 2025 by appointing himself chairman and installing his own Board of Trustees, who later added his name to the building and announced a two-year closure for renovations.
- Internal emails confirmed at least 40 staff layoffs ahead of the July shutdown, prompting country musician Kristy Lee to withdraw from performing, saying the center would cost her "integrity," which she called "worth more than any paycheck."
- White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson dismissed the rally as "Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions," while the administration reiterated that President Trump is making the venue the "finest performing arts facility in the world for all Americans."
- The Friday event served as a kickoff for the nationwide "No Kings Day of Nonviolent Action" scheduled for Saturday, with organizers expecting millions of participants to march in cities across the country to defend free expression.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Artists blast Trump attacks on First Amendment ahead of another No Kings protest • Kentucky Lantern
Two-time Academy Award winning actor Jane Fonda leads the Artists United for Our Freedoms event outside the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)WASHINGTON — A host of celebrities outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday kicked off a weekend of protest against President Donald Trump’s expansion of executive power and his administration’s pressur…
NewsBusters
Conservative AngleFonda Suggests Second Trump Term Is Worse Than Jim Crow
Actress Jane Fonda stopped by Friday’s edition of The Briefing with Jen Psaki on MS NOW in an attempt to hype Saturday’s No Kings protests. Naturally, Fonda would paint a dire picture of the state of democracy in America, but her evidence consisted of defeats for liberal budget priorities and false narratives about the erasing of history. Nevertheless, Fonda would also suggest that the state of democracy is so perilous that things are currently …
Artists detonate attack on Trump at the Kennedy Center
WASHINGTON — A host of celebrities outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday kicked off a weekend of protest against President Donald Trump’s expansion of executive power and his administration’s pressure on freedom of expression — from theater programming in the nation’s capital, to late-night television.More than a dozen activist performers and creators rallied for Artists United for Our Freedoms, an event organized …
Actress Jane Fonda and folk icon Joan Baez joined journalists, musicians and writers in a protest outside the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Fonda is urging Americans to "raise their voices" and "stand tall against authoritarianism."
Nebraska Examiner
Artists blast Trump attacks on First Amendment ahead of another No Kings protest
Two-time Academy Award winning actor Jane Fonda leads the Artists United for Our Freedoms event outside the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)WASHINGTON — A host of celebrities outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday kicked off a weekend of protest against President Donald Trump’s expansion of executive power and his administration’s pressur…
Jane Fonda Protests Trump, Warner Bros. Sale and Iran War in Fiery Kennedy Center Speech: 'Stand Tall'
Jane Fonda condemned Donald Trump and his administration’s attacks on the First Amendment in a fiery protest speech given outside the Kennedy Center. On Friday, the legendary actress was joined by a number of notable names, including Maggie Rogers, Joan Baez, Billy Porter, Sam Waterston, Jim Acosta and Joy Reid, where she blasted the Warner Bros.-Paramount Merger, the Iran War and more as an attack on the freedom of expression. “Since Trump has …
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