Patti LuPone has apologized for her controversial remarks regarding fellow Broadway giants Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis.
On Saturday, May 31, the 76-year-old Broadway actress apologized after she received backlash, including an open letter by more than 500 within the Broadway community condemning her, for her recent remarks in an interview in The New Yorker that targeted McDonald and Lewis.
“For as long as I have worked in the theatre, I have spoken my mind and never apologized. That is changing today,” LuPone began in a lengthy post on Instagram. “I am deeply sorry for the words I used during “The New Yorker” interview, particularly about Kecia Lewis, which were demeaning and disrespectful.”
“I regret my flippant and emotional responses during this interview, which were inappropriate, and I am devastated that my behavior has offended others and has run counter to what we hold dear in this community,” she continued. “I hope to have the chance to speak to Audra and Kecia personally to offer my sincere apologies.”
LuPone added that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with everything in the open letter asking that she be held accountable and disinvited from the 78th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 8.
“From middle school drama clubs to professional stages, theatre has always been about lifting each other up and welcoming those who feel they don’t belong anywhere else,” she concluded. “I made a mistake, I take full responsibility for it, and I am committed to making this right. Our entire theatre community deserves better.”
Last week, The New Yorker published an interview with LuPone in which she called Lewis a “b—” and referred to McDonald as “not a friend.” She made the comments when she was asked about the controversy around an incident in 2024 in which she complained about the noise level of Alicia Keys’ musical “Hell’s Kitchen,” which starred Lewis at the time. At the time, Lewis had called out LuPone’s complaints as “racially microaggressive” and “bullying.”
When LuPone was asked about McDonald’s history-making and Tony-nominated performance as Rose in the musical “Gypsy,” she reportedly turned to the window before changing the subject to the weather. McDonald’s current run as Rose marks the first time a Black actress has stepped into the role on Broadway, and her recent Best Actress nomination made her 11th, making her the most-nominated performer in the awards’ history. LuPone played Rose on Broadway in 2008 and took home the Tony that year.
Following the incendiary interview, McDonald addressed the comments while in conversation with Gayle King for an upcoming spot on “CBS Mornings.”
“If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is,” McDonald said. “That’s something you’d have to ask Patti about,” the six-time Tony winner added. “You know, I haven’t seen her in about 11 years, just because we’ve been busy just with life. So I don’t know what rift she’s talking about, but you’d have to ask her.”
