Anti-Israel singer Kehlani has Central Park concert nixed after pressure from NYC mayor’s office

A concert in Central Park for the anti-Israel singer Kehlani is canceled after pressure from the New York City mayor’s office.

Kehlani was supposed to perform next month at a show called “Pride with Kehlani,” during the city’s LGBTQ Pride month. The show was hosted by the City Parks Foundation, a nonprofit that partners with the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation and receives public funding.

Kehlani has said, “Fuck Israel,” “Fuck Zionism,” “Dismantle Israel,” and shared other calls for Israel’s destruction on social media. Last year, she put out a music video that flashed the message, “Long live the intifada.”

The office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams pressured the foundation to cancel the show, citing security concerns, The New York Post reports.

The foundation canceled the show following a letter from the mayor’s office, the report says.

Adams’ press secretary, Kayla Mamelak Altus, says on X, “We are grateful to the City Parks Foundation for responding to our concerns and canceling the Kehlani concert in Central Park.”

Kehlani arrives at the 67th annual Grammy Awards on February 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

New York Rep. Ritchie Torres also pushed for the show’s cancellation.

“Antisemitism becomes unacceptable only when we, as a society, have the courage to reject it,” Torres says after the show’s cancellation.

Cornell University in upstate New York canceled a Kehlani performance last month, due to her anti-Israel rhetoric.