As President Donald Trump enters, Shonda Rhimes exits.
On Wednesday, Feb. 12, a spokesperson for the television executive, 55, confirmed that the Grey’s Anatomy creator has resigned from her role as treasurer of the Kennedy Center.
The move comes shortly after Trump, 78, was elected chair of the arts institution by the board of directors, per the New York Times. Rhimes was one of the officers former President Barack Obama appointed to the board of trustees.
The NYT also reported that Kennedy Center President Deb Rutter was fired from her position and Richard Grenell was appointed interim president, while Trump replaced former chair David M. Rubenstein.
Rhimes, whose best known for creating hit shows like Scandal and Bridgerton, isn’t the only board member who has announced their exit.
Earlier today, Ben Folds also confirmed he was resigning as artistic adviser of the National Symphony Orchestra. A few hours later, Renée Fleming also followed suit and shared her plans to leave her role as artistic adviser at large.
“Given the developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic advisor to the NSO. Not for me,” Folds wrote in a statement shared to Instagram. “It’s been a wonderful 8 years working with Kennedy Center President Deb Rutter, fellow artistic advisor Renee Fleming, and the entire NSO staff, encouraging thousands of fresh new audiences to appreciate symphonic music.”
The multi-platinum singer/songwriter/producer concluded, “Mostly, and above all, I will miss the musicians of our nation’s symphony orchestra — just the best!”
On Friday, Feb. 7, Trump announced his plans to replace Rubenstein as well as other board of trustee members on social media platform, Truth Social.
“I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,” he wrote. “We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”
The President claimed that his reasoning behind the decision stemmed from “drag shows specifically targeting our youth” that the Kennedy Center hosted last year, adding, “THIS WILL STOP.”
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The Kennedy Center responded on Feb. 8, saying that they “received no official communications from the White House.”
“Per the Center’s governance established by Congress in 1958, the chair of the board of trustees is appointed by the Center’s board members,” the statement continued. “There is nothing in the Center’s statute that would prevent a new administration from replacing board members; however, this would be the first time such action has been taken with the Kennedy Center’s board.”
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