Exclusive: Trump is preparing to replace Ric Grenell as head of the Kennedy Center

By Sunlen Serfaty, Kristen Holmes, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump is expected to remove Richard Grenell as head of the Kennedy Center, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The move comes as the arts and culture institution, which now bears Trump name on its façade, is expected to close for two years for renovations as the president seeks to remold it in his image.

The announcement of Grenell’s departure could come as soon as today, two of the sources said.

Grenell’s tenure as interim president of the Kennedy Center since February 2025 has been marked by tumult, plagued by high-profile performance cancellations, protests, declining ticket sales and financial strain as he sought to execute the president’s vision for the arts center.

Despite earlier warmth between Trump and Grenell, a longtime loyalist who has served in various roles across the president’s two terms in office, the president had become frustrated with a slew of negative headlines about his revamp of the arts institution, the sources said.

One source familiar with the White House view said that the president liked Grenell, but felt that he had fumbled when it came to his leadership of the Kennedy Center, including on managing the publicity.

A White House official insisted that Grenell wasn’t being fired but that he was always intended to help during the Kennedy Center’s transition period and then leave the role.

While leading the Kennedy Center, Grenell often bucked the trends of the arts world, defying traditions and stretching norms in place for decades, which critics contend has led to strain and brought irreparable harm to the institution.

Those who work with Grenell described him as combative, confrontational and headstrong. A source close to the Kennedy Center lamented that Grenell had no experience or grounding in the arts world and came in “with a sledgehammer” and “campaign schticks” that are moving the institution in the wrong direction.

But others contended that he was exactly the person to carry out Trump’s vision and that he brought a “no-nonsense mentality” to his work and brought in many new staff to the center.

In recent days, Trump has been “kind of is souring on him,” a source close to the Kennedy Center said.

“Ric worked really hard to keep in Trump’s good graces, but Trump got tired of turning on the news and hearing every day how bad the Kennedy Center was being run and (how) Trump is killing it,” the source said.

One of the sources familiar with the plans moving forward for the Kennedy Center also described Grenell’s departure as a transition, not a removal, noting that the arts institution is moving towards the building phase of its planned renovation, and that Grenell did want to be there during the construction.

CNN has approached Grenell and the White House for comment.

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