Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Kennedy Center’s New Artistic Programming Chief Quits After Less Than 2 Weeks, Probably No One Would Answer His Calls

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On January 16th, the Kennedy Center hired a new artistic programming chief.

Yesterday, he resigned.

Kevin Couch is gone. He gave no reason for resignation.

For a laugh, I’ll say that JD Vance found him and the rest was misery. JD loves a good couch!

Couch probably couldn’t get anyone to answer his calls in the theater or music community.

No one will perform at the “Trump Kennedy Center.” That’s why his predecessor left after many years.

Like everyone Couch needs a job and probably thought he could work this out. But he no doubt discovered this made him a pariah in entertainment.

Maybe also Couch didn’t want to attend tonight’s all-MAGA premiere of “Melania” the documentary. His skin was probably crawling at the idea of spending an evening watching the infomercial with the likes of Stephen Miller and Krist Noem!

So what now? Maybe if Miller loses his White House job over immigration and the murders and disappearances of Americans, this can be his new position.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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