Why Did Toni Morrison Hate 'Hamilton'? Here's the Truth About the Rumor

In the world of literature, Toni Morrison is a legend. The American novelist centered Black voices, history, and identity in her work, which propelled her status as one of the most influential voices in literature. As such, she won multiple awards, including the 1977 National Book Critics Circle Award, and became the first Black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.

Since Ms. Morrison was considered one of the most notable voices in literature, her opinion mattered, especially to upcoming storytellers. That said, the idea of someone of her magnitude not being pleased with your work is a tough pill to swallow. Word on the street is that Ms. Morrison had her share of literary works she wasn’t too fond of, in particular, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. So, why did Toni Morrison hate Hamilton? Here’s what we know.

According to Newsweek, the late Toni Morrison showed her hatred for Hamilton by using her resources to fund another project. The project was a play, The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda, written by Ishmael Reed. It focused on Lin-Manuel being haunted by the ghosts of slaves whose stories were not included in Hamilton.

The outlet shares that Hamilton’s objective was to tell the stories of the American founding fathers. However, in telling the story, many narratives were omitted, leading folks to believe that the true identities and natures of the founding fathers — mainly racism — were excluded.

"They cast Black people in order to defend projects that [Black people] might find objectionable. It sort of distracts from the racism of the white historical characters," Ishmael told Current via Newsweek. "I draw attention to what was left out of Hamilton by giving speaking parts to those who were left out of the narrative," Ishmael told Current Affairs via Newsweek.

The goal was for Lin-Manuel to see the error of his ways. Once the play was released in 2019 across theaters in New York, Ishmael shared more information about the project, including Toni’s participation.

“She [Morrison] was the second largest patron of my new play The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda," Ishmael told AAWW magazine.

Given that Toni was a donot for the project, many people took that to mean she was not a fan of Hamilton.

Ishmael has never held back about his thoughts on Lin-Manuel's Hamilton musical. And while many folks agree with his take on the project, Toni never publicly shared her distaste with the musical.

Although Ishmael has shared how supportive Toni was of his play, some people question why Toni never spoke her piece publicly. Some folks would say that, since she was a woman of grace and tact, publicly bashing another writer would be beneath her.

Despite Toni being tight-lipped and keeping her sentiments to close confidantes, it’s clear that Lin-Manuel has his share of regrets about how he created and told the Hamilton story. He has publicly owned up to “falling short” and has welcomed the criticism he has received and continues to receive.