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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
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Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo got some new gigs courtesy of President Donald Trump. In addition to their duties as Fox News hosts, the two popular conservatives have been named to the board of trustees at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
“I am thrilled to announce that Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo will be joining our Kennedy Center Board – This completes our selection. We look forward to restoring the Center to Greatness, and ushering in America’s Golden Age. Together, we will Make the Arts Great Again!” the president said in a post on his TruthSocial account.
Other Board members include Vice President J.D. Vance’s wife Usha Vance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s wife, Allison Lutnick, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Sen. Mitch McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, Dan Scavino, and Susie Wiles.
Richard Grenell, Trump’s diplomatic envoy for special missions, is serving as the president of the Kennedy Center.
The news came a day after the producer of “Hamilton,” Jeffrey Seller, said that his show would not be back at the Center while Trump is the president.
“Politics have never affected the presentation of thousands of shows and the display of extraordinary visual arts,” he said in his announcement about removing his play about America’s founding politicians.
“However, in recent weeks we have sadly seen decades of Kennedy Center neutrality be destroyed. The recent purge by the Trump Administration of both professional staff and performing arts events at or originally produced by the Kennedy Center flies in the face of everything this national cultural center represents,” he said.
“This spirit of nonpartisanship ended on February 7, 2025, with the firing of Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter, the Chairman of the Board David Rubenstein, and numerous other Kennedy Center board members, as well as the cancellation of important programming,” Seller noted further.
“These actions bring a new spirit of partisanship to the national treasure that is the Kennedy Center. Given these recent actions, our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center. Therefore, we have canceled the third engagement of Hamilton at the Kennedy Center, originally scheduled for March 3-April 26, 2026,” he said.
Fox News, meanwhile, recently announced a big career change for long-time host and former George W. Bush White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. According to the network, the co-anchor of “America’s Newsroom” and co-host of “The Five” has launched her own weekly podcast.
“FOX News Audio’s ‘Perino on Politics,’ which launched the same week Fox News Channel will host the first GOP presidential primary debate, will examine the 2024 election and beyond,” the network said in a report.
Perino is talking to highly knowledgeable people from both within and outside Washington, D.C. The lineup will has included experts such as columnists, advisors, pollsters, and political strategists, and together, they will delve into the most recent developments along the campaign trail, crucially leading up to what is being seen as a pivotal election, Fox noted.
The show’s inaugural guests featured strategist Colin Reed and National Review’s senior political correspondent, Jim Geraghty, the report added.
“Perino joined Fox News Channel in 2009 following her time as White House Press Secretary in President George W. Bush’s administration. She has since played a key role in Fox News’ election coverage,” Fox reported, adding:
Perino’s “America’s Newsroom,” which she co-anchors alongside Bill Hemmer, is regularly the top cable news program in its timeslot. “The Five,” which she co-hosts alongside Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters and Jeanine Pirro, is the most-watched show on cable news despite airing well before the primetime hours that historically dominated ratings.
“The Five,” which has been the No. 1 cable news program for seven-straight quarters, averaged 2.6 million viewers and 254,000 among the advertiser-coveted demo of adults age 25-54 during July to continue its unprecedented run.