Booing JD Vance at the Kennedy Center? Sounds Like the Audience Got It Right.
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
Last night, at a National Symphony Orchestra concert at Washington's Kennedy Center, Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha, were met with boos from the audience as they took their seats. This reaction follows President Donald Trump's recent appointment of himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center, replacing several board members, including the previous chair, and naming Usha Vance to the board.
The Kennedy Center is a space for artistic excellence. It’s where audiences come together to be moved, inspired, and, sometimes, challenged. So when Trump officials show up—many of whom have spent the past months defunding the arts, attacking free expression, and pushing policies that go against the very spirit of creative spaces—it’s no surprise that the audience lets them know exactly how they feel.
And honestly? That feels right.
When an audience reacts to the presence of someone who has actively worked against the values of inclusivity, creative freedom, and artistic expression, that’s not "rude"—that’s tradition.
Let’s be clear: these are the same politicians who push for book bans, who cry about "woke" culture anytime a production dares to tell stories outside their narrow worldview, who vote to cut funding for the NEA, and who dismiss the arts as some kind of frivolous luxury. But they still want to sit in the audience, enjoy the show, and bask in the prestige of an institution they’re undermining? Sorry, but that’s not how this works.
If you spend years disregarding the impact of the arts, you shouldn’t expect a warm welcome when you suddenly decide to appreciate them from a box seat.
It’s also worth noting that theatre audiences, especially at the Kennedy Center, are typically polite. For them to react so vocally, something has to be deeply wrong. The arts community isn’t one for knee-jerk reactions—it’s one that values discussion and perspective. So when an entire audience makes their disapproval heard, it’s not just a one-off moment. It’s a message.
If an audience at the Kennedy Center decides that silence isn’t an option, I say let them have their moment. That, too, is free speech. That, too, is a reflection of where we are. And honestly, if these politicians don’t like the sound of public accountability, maybe they should reconsider the policies that got them booed in the first place.
Because at the end of the day, art speaks truth to power. And sometimes, so does the audience.