What was billed as a star-studded 80th birthday bash for President Donald Trump is shaping up to be a family gathering after a string of high-profile celebrities turned down invitations to the June 14, 2026 UFC event at 8 p.m. on the White House South Lawn.
Sources close to the family revealed to the New York Post on June 10 that the ringside seats for UFC Freedom 250, which also commemorates America’s 250th anniversary, will be occupied largely by Trump relatives instead of Hollywood A-listers. First Lady Melania Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and his wife Bettina Trump, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, and Eric Trump and Lara Trump are all expected to attend the $60 million cage fight.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and her husband Nicholas Riccio will also join the family gathering, according to the report. The Daily Beast called the guest list a humiliation for Trump, noting the stark absence of celebrity power.
UFC President Dana White had issued invitations to an impressive array of celebrities, including former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, actor and wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, actors Adam Sandler, Jared Leto, and Jason Statham, filmmaker Guy Ritchie, and Access Hollywood host Mario Lopez, The Independent reported on May 27.
But few, if any, of these celebrities will actually show up, according to The Daily Beast’s June 6 report. A source close to Johnson confirmed to the publication that the wrestler-turned-actor would skip the event. Sandler, Leto, and even Lopez—who has publicly identified as a conservative—have also declined to attend.
Jon Favreau, director of The Mandalorian and Grogu and a longtime UFC fan, did not return a request for comment when speculation arose that he had received an invitation. The remaining celebrity invitees had not responded to multiple requests for comment from Vanity Fair.
Many of the invited celebrities are known UFC aficionados. Brady has discussed his favorite fighters in interviews, while Leto has shared posts about upcoming bouts on social media. In a 2011 interview, Statham said he had always been a fan of the sport, calling UFC fighters the ultimate athletes and true gladiators.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle defended the event on June 10 when asked about the celebrity exodus, saying it would rank among history’s most significant sporting occasions and that hosting it at the White House demonstrates the president’s commitment to honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Seven UFC bouts will take place in an octagon under towering lighting rigs that have been erected on the South Lawn. About 5,000 seats have been constructed around the venue, with approximately 4,300 seats positioned around the octagon itself. At least 1,200 of those seats will be reserved for active-duty service members.
White and Hollywood superagent Ari Emanuel, who is also a UFC owner, each have 200 tickets to distribute as they choose. Trump himself controls 1,000 tickets for the invite-only event. Members of the public can apply for seats, though the selection process remains unclear.
The president will step out of the White House to a scene ringed by Cabinet members, senior administration aides, GOP lawmakers, and more than 4,000 fans shouting themselves hoarse inside a temporary arena beneath The Claw, a spaceshiplike metal arch outfitted with lights, sound systems, and massive screens. Thousands more will watch on large displays from the nearby Ellipse.
Construction crews have assembled massive lighting rigs on the South Lawn, and Trump has shown off nighttime renderings of the octagon adorned with stars-and-stripes decor. All seats are expected to be invite-only, though officials have indicated that members of the public can apply for free tickets to watch from the Ellipse, the park adjacent to the White House.
The celebrity snubs come on the heels of another high-profile booking disaster for the Trump administration. After most of the concert lineup backed out of the Great American State Fair scheduled for June 24 on the National Mall, Trump announced on June 11 that he would host a rally instead, making himself the main attraction.
Performers such as Milli Vanilli, Bret Michaels, and Martina McBride withdrew after learning the event was partisan rather than nonpartisan as initially described. Trump responded by insulting the performers on Truth Social on June 11, writing that he didn’t want singers with no talent but big fees to put people to sleep, and that he had told them all to stay home.
Trump’s hand-picked replacement performers for the rally include country singer Lee Greenwood, whose signature hit “God Bless the U.S.A.” was released in 1984, and opera performer Christopher Macchio, who currently has a limited following on streaming platforms.
Trump’s most recent appearance at a sporting event didn’t go much better than his celebrity recruitment efforts. When he attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden on June 8, he was roundly booed by the crowd. He was also caught apparently napping during the Knicks’ loss to the Spurs.
When former President Joe Biden marked his 80th birthday in November 2022, he did so with a private family brunch at the White House, underscoring how swiftly and dramatically circumstances have shifted.
Despite the setbacks, the White House appears committed to making UFC Freedom 250 a spectacle.