Will Disney’s Theatrical Release Of ‘Hamilton’ Be Censored?
Disney is not throwing away its shot to bring the Tony-winning pop culture phenomenonHamiltonto a wider audience. But that shot may not ring quite as clearly as fans remember. A new report suggests that when Disney releases itsHamilton"movie" theatrically in 2021, some of the production’s curse words may be censored due to the House of Mouse’s strict adherence to the PG-13 rating.
WhenHamiltonburst on the scene in 2015, the hip-hop musical was lauded for its energized and modern depiction of American historical figures — emulating that of the current hip-hop scene with a diverse cast and an abundance of curse words. But that factor of the musical’s success may be proving a problem with Disney, which is set to release a “live capture” version ofHamiltonin theaters in 2021. According toThe New York Timesreporter Kyle Buchanan, “one of the negotiation points” over Disney’s deal withHamiltonwas over the production’s language. Because Disney adheres to a strict PG-13 or lower rating with its theatrical releases, it may have to censor the theatrical release ofHamilton, if the numerous curse words push the production over an R-rating. The MPAA allows only one “f-bomb” in a PG-13 film.Hamiltonhas two.
“I think we’ll figure it out when we get there,” Miranda told Buchanan when asked about potential censorship ofHamilton. “But we’re not going to cut any sections of the show.”
Miranda added, “If we have to mute a word here or there to reach the largest audience possible, I’m OK with that, because your kids already have the original language memorized. I don’t think we’re depriving anyone of anything if we mute an f-bomb here or there to make our rating.”
LMM continued “If we have to mute a word here or there to reach the largest audience possible, I’m OK with that, because your kids already have the original language memorized. I don’t think we’re depriving anyone of anything if we mute an f-bomb here or there to make our rating”
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan)June 25, 2025
One of the songs inHamilton, “The Adams Administration,” already censors an f-bomb for comedic effect, while “Say No To This” has Hamilton almost cursing, but not completing the word. It wouldn’t be completely different if a few more f-bombs were censored, though it would be another matter entirely if Disney took its axe to the production’s other curse words. Hopefully this won’t be a major issue when theHamiltonmovie, which features the original cast in a performance shot on stage at The Richard Rogers Theatre in New York City in 2016, hits theaters onOctober 15, 2021.
