Bill Maher says it’s 'so stupid' for anti-Trump artists to bail on Kennedy Center performances

Comedian and talk show host Bill Maher said it’s "stupid" for musicians and artists to cancel Kennedy Center performances over President Donald Trump’s attempt to put his name on the iconic building. 

Maher recently accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center, where Trump serves as the chairman. The HBO comedian sat down with ABC’s Jonathan Karl, who asked about artists who have refused to perform at the Kennedy Center over Trump.

"That’s so stupid. First of all, you’re just giving him the victory. He doesn’t own the Kennedy Center. He doesn’t own comedy," Maher said in an extended version of the interview posted online. 

"Life goes on. That’s the message I would send," he continued. "I’ve always watched the Kennedy Center honors. This is kind of like that but for one guy. It’s the same thing. You’re up in the box, you know, it’s awesome. It’s great, and it’s rare, and it’s America, and he doesn’t own that, either." 

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The musical "Hamilton," actress Issa Rae, banjo player Béla Fleck, the San Francisco Ballet, cellist Seth Parker Woods, violinist Hilary Hahn, composer Philip Glass, Renée Fleming, Vocal Arts DC, the Brentano Quartet, the Seattle Children's Theatre, the Martha Graham Dance Company, the Washington National Opera and Sonia De Los Santos are among the shows, performers and artists that have bailed on the Kennedy Center because of Trump, according to NPR. 

Maher dismissed people letting Trump "ruin everything," and made light of the Trump administration initially attempting to stop him from receiving the award.

"I was like, ‘Game on,'" Maher said. 

"This was after our dinner, our famous dinner, you know, back to sniping and yelling," he continued. "But, better than no dialogue, in my view, so, when he did that, I was like, ‘Good move, dude.’" 

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Maher and Trump have traded barbs over the last year despite meeting for dinner at the White House last year, which landed the HBO host in hot water with some liberals. 

Maher, a longtime critic of Trump, said the president was "was gracious and measured" during the reportedly cordial meeting. But the White House dinner wasn’t enough to stop Trump from criticizing Maher, who previously suggested he respected the hostility from the administration. 

"I love that, you know, he takes the game seriously. Like no, ‘I’m going to block this guy.’ I respect the move," Maher said on his "Club Random" podcast in late April. 

 Maher has also said anyone who stopped watching his show because he had dinner with Trump is an "idiot." 

The battle over the Kennedy Center began in February 2025, shortly after Trump was inaugurated for a second time as president. He replaced several trustees on the board, while also appointing himself a trustee.

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The new Trump-allied board then elected him chair, enabling him to fire the previous president of the center, Deborah Rutter. 

Trump and the center’s board changed the name of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to "Trump-Kennedy Center," but U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee, said the iconic venue cannot be renamed without an act of Congress.

The saga culminated on June 13, when workers began removing Trump's name from the Kennedy Center. The sign previously said "The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts."

Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck, James Cirrone and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.