Caleb Hearon & Waxahatchee present Yeehaw! A Benefit for KC Tenants on Oct. 2
Caleb Hearon at last year’s Yeehaw! // Photo by Zoe Strohm
Kansas City’s tenant movement is stepping onto a bigger stage this fall. On Oct. 2, comedian Caleb Hearon and singer-songwriter Waxahatchee will headline Yeehaw! A Benefit for Kansas City, a night of comedy, music, and community power in support of KC Tenants, the citywide tenant union. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the show starting at 8 p.m. at Uptown Theatre.
Hearon has been on a national tear: his podcast So True hit over a million downloads in its first three months of launching, he’s appearing in major films, and Rolling Stone recently named him one of the most influential creators, ranking at number six. That nod even sparked internet drama when YouTube giant MrBeast publicly bristled at landing just below Hearon on the list. But here in Kansas City, Hearon’s influence takes a different shape: he shows up for tenants. 
“Caleb has been a major supporter of the union for years,” KC Tenants Founder Tara Raguveer says. “At this point, he’s not just a supporter, he’s part of the KC Tenants family and a dear friend.”
Founded in 2019, KC Tenants has grown into one of the most visible tenant rights organizations in the country. Led by a multiracial, multigenerational base of poor and working-class renters, the group “organizes to ensure that everyone has a safe, decent, accessible, and truly affordable home,” the founder says. The organization has shaped housing policy, built a citywide tenants’ bill of rights, and trained hundreds of renters to advocate for themselves and their neighbors.
The benefit underscores a core truth of KC Tenants’ work: laughter and joy are powerful forms of resistance. By pairing culture with activism, the union not only rallies people around a cause but also affirms the humanity of its members—showing that tenants are more than their struggles. Art makes space for connection, humor, and care, while keeping the fight for housing justice front and center.
“People come to these benefits who may never have engaged with KC Tenants before, but because they love Caleb, they leave connected to this powerful movement. Everybody wins,” Raghuveer says.
For Raguveer, Yeehaw! is about more than raising money; it’s about weaving culture into the fight for housing justice. “The first step for anyone fired up is simple: become a member at kctenants.org/member,” she says.
With Waxahatchee lending her voice and Caleb Hearon bringing comedy home, October’s benefit promises not just entertainment, but a chance to invest in Kansas City’s most urgent fight: housing as a human right.
Tickets for Yeehaw! A Benefit for Kansas City will be at the Uptown on Oct. 2. Tickets can be found here.
