2017 Kennedy Center honoree Norman Lear will skip White House reception because of Trump

Norman Lear is honored that The Kennedy Center has chosen to honor him — alongside Gloria Estefan, LL Cool J, Lionel Richie, and Carmen de Lavallade — for the center’s annual celebration of the arts in 2017.

But Lear will skip the traditional pre-show reception at The White House. Thanks, Trump. Or, make that, no thanks, Trump.

Lear, an outspoken opponent of Trump — just listen to my podcast with Norman Lear from October 2016 (Episode #119 of Last Things First) — isn’t happy with the current administration’s plans to stop funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Lear informed the Kennedy Center of his position when they called to announce the honor.

“Feelings don’t go away, thoughts and opinions don’t vanish,” Lear told Variety. “I heard [about the honor] and they understood exactly how I felt.”

UPDATED: Lear clarified his position on this Saturday…

How he’ll feel potentially sitting next to Trump during the ceremony at the Kennedy Center? We’ll have to see how that turns out in December.

 

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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