Broadway legend Patti LuPone has apologized for “flippant and emotional” remarks she made about fellow marquee actors in a New Yorker magazine interview.
The mea culpa came via LuPone’s social media accounts Saturday after more than 600 members of the Broadway community signed an open letter condemning the three-time Tony winner’s controversial comments about Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald.
Theater publication Playbill reported signatories to the letter include Tony winners James Monroe Iglehart, Maleah Joi Moon and Wendell Pierce.
In the New Yorker interview, LuPone was asked about a controversy that circulated during her time co-starring in “The Roommate” with Mia Farrow last fall.
Don’t call yourself a vet, b—-.” The New Yorker noted that Lewis has actually done 10 shows and LuPone 28.
In an interview with New Yorker magazine, Broadway icon Patti LuPone made “flippant and emotional” comments about other well-known actors. She has since apologized.
Following an open letter signed by over 600 Broadway community members denouncing the three-time Tony winner’s divisive remarks regarding Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald, LuPone took to social media on Saturday to apologize.
The letter, which was sent to the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, chastised LuPone for referring to Lewis as a “b—-” and stating that McDonald is “not a friend” in the New Yorker profile.
This language is an obvious act of racialized disrespect in addition to being demeaning and misogynistic. It is bullying. According to the letter, it is harassment.
According to the theater magazine Playbill, Tony winners Wendell Pierce, Maleah Joi Moon, and James Monroe Iglehart are among the signatories to the letter.
LuPone said she also signs the document, at least in spirit, when she apologized on Saturday. “I completely concur with all of the points made in the open letter. “”.
She expressed regret for her use of “demeaning and disrespectful” language, especially directed at Lewis. “”.
“I apologize sincerely,” she said.
“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,” LuPone noted. I sincerely hope that I will get the opportunity to apologize to Audra and Kecia in person. “”.
For her role in Broadway’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” Lewis received a 2024 Tony Award. In 2014, McDonald became the first performer to win the Tony Award for all performance categories and won her sixth Tony Award for best actress in a play. This year, she has received her eleventh nomination for her lead role in the musical “Gipsy.”. “”.
According to a document that enables people to request their names be added, as of Saturday, the letter had 682 signatures.
The letter stated: “Artists, such as Patti Lupone, who publicly humiliate, harass, or disparage other artists — especially using racial, gendered, or otherwise violent language — should not be welcomed at industry events, including the Tony Awards, fundraisers, and public programs.”.
Requests for comment were not immediately answered by the Broadway League or the American Theatre Wing, hosting the Tony Awards on June 8.
LuPone also did not answer right away.
LuPone was questioned in the New Yorker interview regarding a rumor that went around when she and Mia Farrow costarred in “The Roommate” last autumn. The Tony-winning musical “Hell’s Kitchen,” which starred Lewis, and the now-closed play were located next to each other.
Because the music would bleed through the shared walls, LuPone reportedly requested that the sound design of “Hell’s Kitchen” be changed. After the issue was resolved, he reportedly sent flowers and a thank-you note to the stage management and sound teams.
In response, Lewis shared a video on Instagram in November, describing LuPone’s behavior as “racially microaggressive” and “rooted in privilege.”. “”.
In a statement the next day, the producers of “The Roommate” thanked the “Hell’s Kitchen” crew for the fix, stating, “These kinds of sound accommodations from one show to another are not unusual and are always deeply appreciated.”. “”.
“Let’s find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done, because she doesn’t know what the f— she’s talking about,” LuPone said on the back-and-forth in the New Yorker interview. dots. She has completed seven. I completed 31. B—-, don’t call yourself a veterinarian. “”.
In reality, Lewis has performed 10 times and LuPone 28 times, according to the New Yorker.
LuPone was informed by interviewer Michael Schulman that McDonald, the Broadway star with the most Tony Awards and nominations, used “supportive emojis” in the video. “”.
“And I thought, ‘You should know better,'” the 76-year-old actor retorted. That’s how Audra usually is. She isn’t a buddy. “.”.
In an interview with Gayle King on “CBS Mornings” to talk about her most recent Tony-nominated performance as Mama Rose in “Gypsy,” McDonald was questioned about LuPone’s remarks. “.”.
CBS posted a video of McDonald saying, “If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is,” on social media prior to the full interview, which will air next week. Patti would need to be questioned about that. “”.
LuPone’s attempt to “discredit” McDonald’s legacy, according to the open letter, was not only a personal transgression but also “a public affront to the values of collaboration, equity, and mutual respect that our theater community claims to uphold.”. “.”.
LuPone acknowledged those ideals and said she had failed them in her apology on Saturday.
Theater has always been about supporting one another and accepting people who don’t feel like they belong anywhere else, she said, citing everything from middle school drama clubs to professional stages. “I acknowledge that I made a mistake and accept full responsibility for it. I’m determined to put this right. Better is what our entire theater community deserves. “”.
