Wed Sep 24 21:50:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
Guitarist Yasmin Williams’s performance at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage was disrupted by members of the DC Log Cabin Republicans, who booed and heckled her due to her opposition to former President Trump. The group, allegedly invited and facilitated by the office of new Kennedy Center president Ric Grenell, reserved a block of tickets and planned their disruption in advance, according to an email from the group’s president. Williams, who had previously clashed with Grenell, faced a tense atmosphere with security present due to concerns for her safety. The incident has raised concerns about the Kennedy Center’s new leadership and its allowing of politically charged events, a departure from past practices.
**News Article:**
**Trump Supporters Disrupt Guitarist’s Kennedy Center Performance, Sparking Controversy**
**Washington, D.C.** – A performance by guitarist Yasmin Williams at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage was disrupted last week by members of the DC Log Cabin Republicans, a group of gay Republicans, leading to questions about political influence at the prestigious arts institution.
Williams, who has publicly criticized former President Trump, was met with boos and heckling from a group of approximately 20 individuals wearing MAGA hats during her September 18th performance. Kennedy Center staffers confirmed that a block of 50 tickets had been reserved for the group through the office of new Kennedy Center president Ric Grenell, a former Trump administration official.
According to an email circulated by DC Log Cabin Republicans president Andrew Manik, the group planned to disrupt Williams’s performance due to her “liberal” views and opposition to President Trump. The email urged attendees to fill the audience with “Patriots” before the group’s monthly meeting, which was held on the Kennedy Center’s rooftop terrace.
Williams, who had previously engaged in an email exchange with Grenell, said she was stunned by the presence of the protesters. “They booed and heckled me,” she stated. “They tried to derail my concert, but fortunately, they were outnumbered.”
The incident has raised concerns about a shift in the Kennedy Center’s policies under new leadership. Multiple sources have said the Kennedy Center historically prohibited “purely political” events, but leadership under Grenell appears to be allowing them with more frequency. Two Republican members of Congress—US representatives Nicole Malliotakis of New York and Carlos Giménez of Florida—were scheduled to speak at the Log Cabin Republicans’ meeting following the concert.
Williams acknowledged the hostile takeover, highlighting that past and present employees have “poured their heart and souls into this building every day” and “made it the prestigious place that it was.”
Neither the Kennedy Center nor the DC Log Cabin Republicans have offered an official comment on the incident.
First Piper 