The Kennedy Center began layoffs on Thursday, initiating the first wave of anticipated cuts tied to President Donald Trump’s plan to shut down the institution for two years.
Multiple departments were affected — including programming, development, advertising, marketing and the office of the president — according to multiple people at the center who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss personnel matters. It is unclear how many staffers were affected, but the number appears to be in the double digits.
