Tony Thorpe, the guitarist and vocalist who assisted in the propulsion of the English glam-rock group the Rubettes to international success in the 1970s, has died at the age of 80.

Thorpe’s death was announced in a statement shared to his official Facebook page, which remembered him as “a father to Clay, a husband to Shirle, a friend to many, and a mentor to countless musicians young and old.” The message added that despite Thorpe’s declining health in recent months, “his fierce intellect and sharp sense of humour” never faltered, and said he would leave “an unfillable hole in the lives of all who knew him, or his music.”

Formed in 1973, the Rubettes emerged near the end of the glam-rock era with a distinctive blend of 1950s-inspired doo-wop harmonies and pop-rock. Dressed in their trademark white suits and cloth caps, the group broke through with “Sugar Baby Love,” which topped the U.K. singles chart for four weeks in 1974 and reached No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100, introducing the band to American audiences. The Rubettes would go on to score additional international hits with songs including “Tonight,” “Juke Box Jive” and “I Can Do It.”

Thorpe joined the band’s classic lineup in 1974 alongside Alan Williams, John Richardson, Mick Clarke, Bill Hurd and Pete Arnesen, serving as both lead guitarist and a songwriter. He also stepped in as a vocalist, singing lead on the band’s single, “Baby I Know.” Thorpe exited the Rubettes in 1979, though he remained active across multiple musical projects. Before and after his time with the group, he worked with artists like Cilla Black and Tommy Steele, and even taught music at Blackburn College. He published his own memoir, A Bride’s Nightie, back in 2014.

Following the news of his death, Rubettes frontman Alan Williams shared a touching tribute on the band’s official Facebook page: “Mercifully now at peace. Dear Tony, our paths having crossed but fleetingly during which time was conceived wondrous music and often hilariously memorable moments. Your brilliance with the axe and the pen cannot be denied and remains with us, never forgotten. Rest now Cowboy.”

Though “Sugar Baby Love” remains the Rubettes’ signature hit, Thorpe’s gift as a guitarist, songwriter and vocalist guided the band’s sound throughout their career. He left behind a catalog that continues to resonate with fans, even five decades later.

Aaron Dessner and Gracie Abrams have now made three albums together, with the pop star’s third studio effort, Daughter From Hell, arriving July 17. But one song in particular has stirred up a few misconceptions, and in a recent conversation with Billboard, the producer cleared them up.

Hopping on a Zoom call on Tuesday (July 21) — just days after joining Noah Kahan on stage in New York to perform one of The Great Divide songs he produced, a cameo that severe weather almost ruined — Dessner addressed confusion over the production and subject of “Death Wish,” one of the most talked-about tracks on Daughter From Hell. Some listeners have expressed surprise that the spritely album version sounds so different from the somber live piano version Abrams initially recorded and released amid her Secret of Us Tour, questioning why the duo would “change” the “original.” (Spoiler alert: They didn’t.)

Meanwhile, others have speculated that Abrams’ former Eras tourmate Taylor Swift inspired eviscerating lyrics such as “And I used to pretend that it didn’t feel evil/ Your light of a million suns burns through people,” even though the Gen-Z star has only ever praised the 14-time Grammy winner and even attended her wedding to Travis Kelce earlier in July. (Abrams has also said herself that “Death Wish” is about “a friend of mine who recently was dating, like, a mega narcissist,” something doubters have either forgotten or ignored.)

But if the commenters won’t listen to Abrams, maybe they will listen to Dessner. He sets the record straight in the condensed conversation below, while also telling Billboard about his ever-evolving dynamic with Abrams, whether she fills him in on the drama that may or may not inspire her songs, his cameo at Kahan’s show and more.

What’s the story with “Death Wish”?

The studio version predates [the live recording] by several months. We wrote it, actually, the week that we recorded “That’s So True,” “I Told You Things” and [other] songs that were on The Secret of Us deluxe. In the wake of [Daughter From Hell] coming out, people were like, “Wait, what about the original version?” This is the original version.

There’s been speculation online that it’s about Taylor Swift.

Yeah, definitely not. It was written at a time when [Gracie] was writing about a friend’s ex, being in a bad relationship. So it was kind of about that person, I think. I wouldn’t even actually know who that person was.

How much do you and Gracie — or any of the artists you work with — talk about the real-life subjects of songs while you’re working on them?

Ultimately, you just become friends. Like, Gracie and I have worked together for more than six years now, and you kind of grow together, and there’s a lot of experience that has nothing to do with making songs. She’s very aware of my personal life, and I’m of course aware of hers — she’s close with my kids, for example. So I think, naturally, if she writes something, I’ll know. But we don’t really talk about it. It’s weird. It’s kind of unsaid.

I would say the same thing for other people I’ve worked with. [I’m] giving feedback at times, lyrically, but I tend to … you don’t want to be like, “Well, you’re talking about this, right?” It’s more mysterious not to.

Gracie said recently that she tried to be less “careless” this time in terms of how songs might impact their subjects. Is that something you observed firsthand?

I think she’s probably referring to certain songs that were written about past relationships. [As] songwriters, we all deal with this. What’s most compelling is to write about your own life or your experience, but … this record, to me, is more looking at herself. [She] was not editing [lyrics] after the fact, or writing and being like, “Oh, I gotta take that out. It’s too painful for someone else.”

Do you have a favorite song on Daughter From Hell?

“What If It’s Right?” is one that when I listen to it, I’m still just floored. The song “Humming” is one that we had written, and then Justin Vernon [of Bon Iver] joined us and helped finish it. It’s just so magical.

“Cold Goodbyes” is just me playing this one synthesizer DX7 organ and Gracie’s singing, and it’s almost improvised in the studio. You could just tell that that was going to be the last song of the record. It still gives me chills.

I was personally surprised that Daughter From Hell was even less pop-centered than The Secret of Us, especially at a moment when Gracie could easily start reaching for bigger chart hits.

Some of the [songs] that we left off [the album] might be more obvious [pop hits], because they fit the bill of what someone might expect, but I think where she’s coming from, who she is as an artist … her motivation is very pure. She’s not trying to chase that kind of chart success or dominance. It’s much more about what feels most compelling artistically, and this was the group of songs that felt closest, I think, to her heart.

Also, for us, they’re all hits, you know? And I think that over time, my favorite records are ones that take time to reveal themselves, and this is one of those.

You performed with Noah over the weekend and have joined Taylor and Gracie on stage several times as well. As their producer, what goes through your head when you’re up there with them?

If you would allow yourself to think for a second that the song you made in the quiet of your home was now in front of 90,000 people with their phones out, it can be pretty scary. But I love the feeling of when songs take on meaning for people — you work on them so hard, they finally get released to the world, and then you’re hearing them sung back at you.

Going on stage with Taylor at the Eras Tour, there was nothing that could prepare you for that. Those are NFL stadiums … there was no way to really know what that would feel like until you’re up there. Fortunately, she’s really good at making you feel in the moment. It felt safe. Noah, he’s so himself up there, the [same] way he is in the studio. [The Great Divide] is so loved, so the vibe is just really amazing. It felt very warm to go into that and join him.

You were originally supposed to perform with him the night prior, before that show was canceled due to severe weather, right?

There were constant meetings with meteorologists, basically. And they just figured out that, there was no safe way to do it. I was driving over there earlier in the day, and there was flooding everywhere. Even right around Citi Field, there was four feet of water.

It was a real bummer to be that close to performing, and then to cancel it. I was going to have to travel — the World Cup Final was the next day, which is very important to me [laughs] — but then we were like, “Is there a way I could stay?” And we figured it out.

Travis Scott should buy a lottery ticket, because he’s been winning a lot of late.

The “Sicko Mode” rapper, whose Circus Maximus Tour last year banked $265 million to becomes the highest grossing solo rap trek in history, has made the brightest possible start to his acting career.

Scott makes his feature acting debut playing The Bard in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the first character we come across in the Brit’s epic new film. Almost unrecognizable in long dreads, Scott’s Bard appears at the very top, narrating the titular character Odysseus’s journey through rhythm and song; he appears once again, late; and he recorded “When I’m Home” with producer James Blake and composer Ludwig Göransson, an original work that appears as the closing-credits song.

If he wasn’t already smiling at his good fortune, Scott could afford one when the box-office results landed. The Odyssey nabbed $123.5 million domestically with a global launch of $263.7 million, with the latter marking the master filmmaker’s highest-grossing worldwide opening ever, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. All told, it’s the biggest live-action opening weekend result for 2026.

Winning.

For Scott, it’s been a wild ride. And during shooting, a nervy one. During an interview for The Tonight Show, Scott admitted he was “actually nervous,” as every star in this star-heavy project watched on as he delivered his lines. “I don’t know what the *beep* I’m doing,” he recounted. But yes, it all worked out in the end.

“Such an amazing cast, supportive,” he explains. Nolan, who reached out with the offer of a part, “is an amazing director, everybody made me feel, like comfortable,” he says. “I was just glad to be there and watch him. And be in such a world with them. So I’m just glad to be here.”

Scott directs the official music video for “When I’m Home,” due out next week.

The Houston rapper also recounted his meeting with Norway striker Erling Haaland, following a match last month at Boston Stadium. Scott designed a soccer boot with Nike, which the goal-scoring ace wore in the tournament. As a show of thanks, Haaland gave Scott a signed jersey, and shared the moment on his social accounts.

Check out the late-night interview below.

Now that the FIFA World Cup is in the books, Cruz Beckham, like his famous folks, can turn their mind to other things.

For Cruz, it’s all about music. Specifically, his debut EP Wear & Tear, due out Aug. 21 via Republic Records.

The 21-year-old is now diving into promo. Earlier this week, he sat for a chat with Mack and Jen, hosts at SiriusXM Hits 1 Miami, for some insights into his new music, and the kind of advice and motivational talk shared by his mom and dad, Victoria and David Beckham.

“They’ve taught me throughout the years to just work on your craft and hone-in and make sure you’re the best version of yourself at what you’re doing,” he explains. “So, you know, if they didn’t teach me that, I don’t think I’d be able to get up on stage and play guitar and be confident enough to show what I’ve been working at for a long time. You know, I feel like it’s just, yeah, it’s just working and working and becoming the best version of yourself, I think.”

And who gives the best pep talk? The former soccer superstar and England captain with the best right foot in the business? Or Posh, founding member of the all-conquering, chart-topping Spice Girls?

It’s 1-0 to mom.

“She’s just like, ‘Well, you’re going to do it anyway, so make sure you do it the best of your ability,’” he reckons. “And you know, I understand that she’s definitely played for a ridiculous amount of people, so I trust her opinion a lot, heavily. And, yeah, she just tells me that it’s all going to be okay. Just relax. And I mean, she didn’t have to play guitar on stage, though. So, I’m just saying I have that. I do have that.”

Cruz also admitted he listens closely to the opinion of his girlfriend, a songwriter. Which means, yes, he’s taken.

Wear and Tear collects “songs that I’ve been working through for like maybe two or three years now,” and includes the previously-released title track, a tune that tugs on the Britpop sound. “I’m just excited to be able to put a body of work out,” he enthuses. “I’m really, really excited. I can’t wait to actually give everybody more than just one or two songs.”

Beckham will support the new recordings with a debut U.S. headline tour, getting underway July 28 at The Atlantis, Washington, DC, with stops for festival appearances at Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Shaky Knees Festival, and U.K. fests Reading and Leeds, and Rock’N’Roll Circus.

Stream the SiriusXM interview here.

Cruz Beckham 2026 tour dates:

July 28 – The Atlantis, Washington, DC
July 29 – Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn, NY
July 31 – The Garrison, Toronto, ON
Aug. 2 – Lollapalooza, Chicago, Illinois
Aug. 3 – 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN
Aug. 6 – Barboza, Seattle, WA
Aug. 7 – Polaris Hall, Portland, OR
Aug. 9 – Outside Lands, San Francisco, CA
Aug. 10 – Masonic Lodge At Hollywood Forever, Los Angeles, CA
Aug. 22 – Rock’N’Roll Circus, Norwich, UK
Aug. 27 – Rock’N’Roll Circus, Sheffield, UK
Aug. 29 – Reading Festival, Reading, UK
Aug. 29 – Leeds Festival, Leeds, UK
Sept. 19 – Shaky Knees Festival, Atlanta, GA

We can’t get Kylie Minogue out of our heads. The Australian pop superstar is everywhere right now — on the airwaves, on our screens, strutting red carpets on the awards circuit, and beaming for an on-stage collaboration with Snow Patrol in South London, the official video for which is now live.

Kylie joined forces with Gary Lightbody and Co. at their sold-out concert July 3 at Crystal Palace Park. There, they delivered the debut performance of “These Alarms,” which officially dropped July 1 on streaming platforms, the first through the band’s new deal with BMG.

The on-stage collaboration was the first time Snow Patrol and Kylie were able to meet in-person, reps say.

On the night, the “Spinning Around” singer stuck around for a performance of “Chasing Cars,” Snow Patrol’s biggest U.S. hit, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006, after its inclusion in the teary season 2 finale of Grey’s Anatomy.

Snow Patrol wrote the new song with Minogue in mind, and recorded it for their 2024 U.K. No. 1 album The Forest is the Path, their second leader, with the working title “KYLIE.” On completion, the band decided to hold back the track until they could record it with the Aussie artist.

“The story behind this song was irresistible,” Kylie comments in a statement. “Hearing there was a demo called ‘KYLIE’ that had been living in the Snow Patrol archives was a complete surprise and, naturally, I was curious to hear it. Gary is such a brilliant songwriter, so to be invited into the band’s world is a total honor.”

The Northern Irish–Scottish rock band this year celebrates the 20th anniversary of their hit fourth album, Eyes Open, which logged three weeks at No. 1 in the U.K. and went on to become the market’s biggest album of 2006. Eyes Open has shifted more than 2.6 million units in the U.K. including 2.4 million pure sales, the OCC reports.

Earlier this month, the band was the first recipient of the Official Charts Hall of Fame Award, a new honor to be presented annually in recognition of official biggest single and album of the year.

The Crystal Palace shoot was led by director of photography Daniel Broadley, whose credits include directing Sam Fender & Olivia Dean’s “Rein Me In” video, and the Oasis (Live ’25) concert series.

Watch the official concert video for “These Alarms” below, and purchase the limited-edition 7” physical vinyl here.

It’s been four years since NewJeans burst onto the K-pop scene, and they’re marking the celebratory achievement with a heartfelt gift for fans.

The group unveiled “2026 Summer of NewJeans” on Tuesday (July 21), a commemorative anniversary film series that features the reunited members Minji, Hanni, Haerin and Hyein in a rollout of four individual films and one group film. The release arrives just weeks after Minji’s return was confirmed, completing the four-member reunion after the unpredictable future of the group.

Under a moonlit sky, the group film opens on Minji, with Hanni to follow. Haerin and Hyein gradually join them onscreen, as all four girls hold hands and smile at one another. They look off into the distance, creating the solemn, quiet and hopeful atmosphere that is reminiscent of the visual style that marked NewJeans’ early career. The anniversary series also includes individual films centered on each member’s everyday life, while also incorporating gestures to the group’s fandom: Bunnies. White fur and the delicate animal are a motif throughout the individual films and the group film, expressing subtle gratitude to their dedicated audience.

“The special film series was created from the members’ shared wish to celebrate their fourth anniversary together with fans,” ADOR said in a statement. “We hope Bunnies will enjoy these films as a heartfelt gift.”

The release of these films continue NewJeans’ return after nearly two years of uncertainty. The group’s original five-member lineup announced plans to leave ADOR in late 2024, later promoting independently as NJZ before a court blocked those actions in 2025. Following a court ruling in ADOR’s favor later that year, Hanni, Haerin and Hyein confirmed they would return to the label, while Minji’s decision remained up in the air until earlier this summer. Danielle, whose contract with ADOR was terminated in late 2025, is not featured in the anniversary project.

The reunion marks a new chapter for one of K-pop’s biggest girl groups. Since debuting in 2022, NewJeans has landed five songs on the Billboard Hot 100, while 2nd EP ‘Get Up’ became the group’s first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in 2023. The group was also honored as Group of the Year at Billboard‘s 2024 Women in Music ceremony.

Doja Cat and Latto are making their case for rap’s hottest duo in 2026. The steamy 2000s-coded visual for their “Okayyy” collaboration arrived on Tuesday (July 21).

The sultry clip kicks off with Latto rapping in lingerie from the comfort of her silk bedsheets before heading to the bathroom, where she poses while taking flicks with a classic digital camera that dominated the MySpace selfie era.

She returns donning camouflage and records in the bedroom, as she’s surrounded by bodybuilders who won’t dare to look her way.

Doja enters the picture in pink lingerie and pays a visit to her man in prison, who’s treated to the Grammy-winning artist giving a chair a sexy-yet-tantalizing lap dance on the other side of the glass.

Doja and Latto reunite for various shots in front of a baby-blue backdrop before heading back to the mansion, which hilariously finds the crew of muscular men washing their luxury cars in the driveway.

Fans seemed to be enjoying the eye candy with Doja and Latto linking up for the steamy visual. “WHOEVER PUT THEM TOGETHER DESERVES A RAISE,” one person wrote in the YouTube video’s comments.

“Okayyy” landed on Latto’s Big Mama album, which arrived in May and debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200.

The surprises didn’t stop there: Doja and Latto will also be hitting the road together. From what appears to be the set of the “Okayyy” video, Doja Cat posted a clip using a vintage camcorder, revealing that Big Mama will be joining her for the North American leg of the Tour Ma Vie World Tour, which kicks off in Detroit on Oct. 1.

The trek is set to be Latto’s first string of arena performances since announcing she gave birth to a baby girl in May.

View this post on Instagram

The members of 5 Seconds of Summer have been through a lot together after nearly 15 years as a group, but nothing could’ve prepared them for the fiery chaos of Hot Ones Versus.

In the latest episode of First We Feast’s competition series posted on Tuesday (July 21), Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin sat beside one another as they stomached hot wings, burning questions and increasingly ridiculous challenges.

Immediately, the episode kicks off with a tough question for Clifford, asking him to rank each member’s solo albums from best to worst. Rather than risk bruising any feelings, Clifford opted to take the punishment instead. The band watches curiously as he dives straight into a “death wing,” sipping all drinks at his disposal in hopes that the spice subsides.

Irwin is next met with a “Wild Card,” in which the band is advised to pass a toy pizza around the table without using their hands — a nod to the group’s deep-cut rarity called “Pizza Song.” The band didn’t have to endure another fiery bite after completing this challenge, and even evaded it the next round as Hemmings successfully “filled in the blank” to complete the lyrics of old 5 Seconds of Summer songs.

Hood, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. Hemmings picks up a card, ordering Hood to either let his bandmates doodle all over his face for the remainder of the episode or eat another spicy wing. The bassist chose the latter, squeezing his nostrils shut as he picks up his punishment. Hemmings asks in confusion, “What’s with the nose?” to which Hood responds, “Well, nose is like, 90% of the taste.” The group erupts into giggles as Hood finishes his bite.

The prompts only became more absurd from there. Clifford judged his bandmates’ outfits in an impromptu fashion show, eventually sentencing Hemmings to another death wing, while Hood assigned each member tongue-in-cheek personality sashes. Hemmings was dubbed the group’s “Little Diva,” Clifford earned “Hot Mama,” Irwin was bestowed “The Flirt,” and Hood embraced the title of “Bad Influence.”

Later, the group huddles together to devise the perfect question for Irwin after drawing the game’s “Killer’s Choice” card.

“He’s an open book,” Hemmings laughs as the band try to think of a question he can answer. Everyone has had a wing except for Irwin, so they ultimately ask him a burning personal question about how many houses he owns, and how much they cost. Irwin sidesteps the interrogation by voluntarily eating a death wing.

For the grand finale, the longtime friends settled the competition with a heated game of musical chairs after adding an extra dab of The Last Dab to their remaining wings. Clifford emerged as the winner from the game, though not without being jokingly accused of cheating by the rest of the band. He holds his Hot Ones Versus trophy and issues a playful challenge to fellow boyband alum Niall Horan to face all four members on a future episode.

Watch 5 Seconds of Summer’s full episode of Hot Ones Versus below.

Lizzo is closing out the month in a “Special” way, making her Sports Illustrated cover debut for the magazine’s July 2026 Swimsuit digital issue.

The “About Damn Time” singer wore her signature Yitty Swim bikinis and swimsuits for the poolside, Miami mansion-set shoot, marking a second of two recent Sports Illustrated moments. In the spring (May 30), Lizzo performed several songs from her new Bitch album, including “Sexy Ladies,” at the 2026 SI Swimsuit Runway Show during Miami Swim Week. The 38-year-old worked the catwalk in a bright blue one-piece swimsuit with the word “b—h” written across the front, a nod to her latest LP.

“My newest fantasy is about feeling good in my body and enjoying my life,” she told Sports Illustrated. “I worked so hard that I destroyed my nervous system. I have such bad anxiety that now I’m working on reversing those things because it’s not conducive to my career. It doesn’t help … to be an artist of this caliber and to have anxiety and to have fear. … There’s no place for that. I really am just seeking joy.”

This grounded, restorative outlook previews Lizzo’s exciting upcoming slate of projects. The Grammy-winning singer-rapper-songwriter hasn’t been on the silver screen in an acting role since 2019’s acclaimed Hustlers, but she’ll soon return in the starring role of a forthcoming Sister Rosetta Tharpe biopic.

Confirming that the film was greenlit and in development, Lizzo revealed, “We’re in the process of writing the script. There’s a lot of research that has gone into the biopic, and I want to be really careful and precious with the script because I think it’s really important to show a Black woman at that time in a different light. … I want her biopic to represent her as the superstar that she was.”

View this post on Instagram

In addition to her acting career, Lizzo is also bringing her talents to the world of children’s books. This fall (Sept. 8), she’ll release Lil Lizzo Meets Sasha B. Flootin’, a Mark Pett-illustrated picture book that follows “a girl [who] finds her voice with the help of a smart and sassy flute.” “I want to… give people backstory on my relationship,” she said. “I’m super adamant about young people playing instruments again. It used to be mandatory, and I don’t know if it’s mandatory anymore, and it scares me.”

It’s been a busy month for Lizzo, most of which she’s spent as a guest professor at Kai Cenat’s Streamer University, where she notably gave streaming star and Grammy-nominated artist Plaqueboymax helpful lessons in self-love after fellow “students” like online personality Ojaysuave harassed him and encouraged homophobia-laced speculation about his sexuality.

Last month (June 5), Lizzo’s Bitch became her first project since 2015’s Big Grrrl Small World to miss the Billboard 200 completely. Led by the singles “Don’t Make Me Love U” and the Meredith Brooks-nodding title track, the LP managed to reach No. 15 on Indie Store Album Sales and No. 46 on Top Album Sales.

View this post on Instagram

A congressional forum was held Tuesday (July 21) to call attention to Donald Trump‘s various “vanity projects,” one of which — the unprecedented 2025 overhaul of the Kennedy Center — Ben Folds was on hand to discuss.

During his turn to speak before lawmakers in the hearing presided over by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the singer/songwriter shared testimony of the changes he witnessed when he was still artistic advisor to the cultural institution’s National Symphony Orchestra. Ever since Trump booted a number of board members and took the role of chairman for himself in February 2025, the Kennedy Center has become a “hyper-politicized environment,” according to Folds.

“I never heard politics discussed in any meetings or gatherings at the center,” he recalled of his tenure leading up to Trump’s takeover, noting that the organization remained apolitical even during the twice-impeached POTUS’ first tenure in 2017-2021. “Everyone involved, including the Trump board, knew we were there to create, educate and showcase art for all Americans, not to further a political agenda.”

“I think most of us understand that when you politicize art, you’ve got propaganda,” he continued.

Folds went on to detail how Trump’s actions negatively affected the center’s reputation and mission. For one, he pointed out that artists can no longer accept or decline invitations to perform at the venue without it coming across as either an endorsement or protest of the president’s administration.

He also said that he “could not trust” that the artists he booked to play at the Kennedy Center “would be safe from retribution if they said or sung something that might displease the president or his political allies. “For this reason, with great sadness, I had no choice but to resign,” he added.

Further, Folds also amplified the investigation into Yasmin Levy’s performance at the center in September. The singer had criticized the board’s DEI and programming changes in an email exchange with then-interim executive director Richard Grenell, who was selected for the job by Trump. When it came time for her performance — which she went through with in solidarity with the Kennedy Center’s staff and union — she was booed by hecklers that Grennell’s executive vp, Rick Loughery, had allegedly paid to harass her.

“The takeover hobbled the Kennedy Center, broke its once-proven successful business model and disrespected its original core mission,” Folds said conclusively. “I can only hope your concerns can find their way to the hearts and minds of your colleagues on the other side of the aisle, who seem absent today.”

The Kennedy Center was just one of many issues covered at the forum, which came in response to “Trump’s vanity projects [that] have wasted hundreds of millions of your hard-earned tax dollars,” according to a description. Testifiers such as Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) and National Parks Conservation manager of veterans programs Jimi Shaughnessy, as well as Public Citizen democracy advocate Jon Gollinger, also shared observations about Trump’s extravagant spending on renovating parts of the White House, making over the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool and constructing a large triumphal arch in Washington, D.C.

Folds had served as the NSO’s artistic advisor for nearly a decade before stepping down in February 2025, around which time several acts denounced Trump for taking control over the Kennedy Center and publicly canceled planned concerts at the venue. This past May, a federal judge ordered that Trump could not add his name to the Kennedy Center’s title and called for the immediate removal of any reference to him on the building’s signage.

Watch the full hearing below.