Celebrities Skip Trump’s 4,000-Guest White House UFC Fight as Donors Chase $1 Million Ringside Seats
Updated
Updated · Vanity Fair · Jun 4
Celebrities Skip Trump’s 4,000-Guest White House UFC Fight as Donors Chase $1 Million Ringside Seats
3 articles · Updated · Vanity Fair · Jun 4
Summary
Several celebrities invited to the June 14 White House UFC event are declining, with representatives for Adam Sandler, Jared Leto and Mario Lopez saying they will not attend and a source saying Dwayne Johnson also will skip it.
The South Lawn fight is still drawing intense demand in Washington: about 4,000 guests are expected, Trump controls 1,000 tickets, and ringside seats have reportedly gone to sponsors paying more than $1 million.
Dana White has said UFC is covering most costs of the event, which TKO president Mark Shapiro pegged at roughly $60 million, while companies with business before the administration face pressure to support related America 250 programming.
The celebrity pullouts fit a broader backlash against Trump-linked semiquincentennial events after a National Mall concert collapsed when most performers withdrew and Trump proposed replacing it with a MAGA rally.