A group of hecklers invaded the Kennedy Center on September 18, intent on disrupting a performance by American guitarist Yasmin Williams. The hecklers were members of the Washington D.C. chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, a political activist group that values conservative ideals while supporting LGBTQ issues. According to the Washingtonian, 50 passes had been set aside for members of the group by the interim President of the Kennedy Center, Rick Grenell.
Sporting suits and red MAGA hats, the group was handed out tickets by a member of Grenell’s staff, according to a Kennedy Center staff member. 20 of the attempted hecklers were seated in the front row when Kennedy Center staff called security, who spread out around the seated areas. The performance went on without extra disruption, except for boos heard during Williams’ opening remarks.
“I decided to do this show to support the people who still work here, who are really good people,” she said. “And who are part of the union, shout out to the union here.”
She went on to criticize the current board, including Grenel.
“The hostile takeover [of] the Trump administration seems to have tarnished the reputation of this place,” she said. “I do not support the new board at all, I don’t support anyone affiliated with the Trump administration at all, especially you, Rick Grenell, I am not a fan of yours at all.”
Grenell and Williams made headlines a few weeks ago for the combative emails Grenell sent her as they organized the booking of her show. Williams shared screenshots of their emails on her Instagram, where Grenell blames “DEI bullshit” and “newspapers who exist to hate republicans” for the Kennedy Center's alleged financial problems.
William’s performance went on without interruption except for a few boos when she mentioned her disdain for Grenell and when someone called for her to pay tribute to Charlie Kirk. According to event staff, the attempted hecklers left their seats after 15 minutes and relocated to a different part of the venue.
After the performance, the Kennedy Center denied an organized role in the incident.
“This is an absolutely ridiculous claim. There was no coordinated effort by the Kennedy Center. Grenell had no involvement. We did not even know they were coming,” Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi told The Washington Post.
24 hours after the performance, Williams revealed that she had acquired a newsletter from the DC Log Cabin Republicans, urging members of the group to attend the show to “make sure the audience is filled with patriots.” The newsletter also offers drink tickets to attendees, which, according to a Kennedy Center staffer interviewed by the Washingtonian, is significant, because if the center wants to offer drink tickets, it requires top-level administrator authorization.
William’s performance is available in full on the Kennedy Center’s website. Watch it here.
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