Patti LuPone apologizes for ‘flippant’ remarks about other Broadway stars
Patti LuPone apologized Saturday for what she said were “flippant” responses she made about fellow Broadway stars Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald, which spawned backlash in the theater community and an open letter signed by hundreds of theater artists condemning Lupone’s behavior.
“For as long as I have worked in the theatre, I have spoken my mind and never apologized,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “That is changing today.”
LuPone said she was “deeply sorry” for her words in a New Yorker interview published Monday, particularly “demeaning and disrespectful” remarks when asked about an incident between her and Lewis, an actress in the Alicia Keys musical “Hell’s Kitchen.”
“I am devastated that my behavior offended others and has run counter to what we hold dear in this community,” LuPone continued. “I hope to have the chance to speak to Audra and Kecia personally to offer my sincere apologies.”
The fiasco began in November, when Lewis posted a video to Instagram accusing LuPone of bullying and being “racially microaggressive” after LuPone — performing in the show “The Roommate” next door to Lewis’ show with a predominantly Black cast — complained that “Hell’s Kitchen” was too loud and asked the theater owner to change the sound.
“I’d like to offer a couple of thoughtful questions for veterans, such as yourself and including myself, we can consider to support community building, equity and inclusivity on Broadway,” Lewis said in the November video.
Responding to the video in the New Yorker interview this week, LuPone took issue with Lewis framing herself as a veteran Broadway actress.
“Let’s find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done,” LuPone said before undercounting how many Broadway shows Lewis had performed in and overcounting her own Broadway resume. “Don’t call yourself a vet.”
When the New Yorker interviewer mentioned that McDonald — who holds the record for the performer with the most Tony Award wins — had given Lewis’ video supportive emojis, LuPone said McDonald was “not a friend” and that the two had a long-ago rift. LuPone also didn’t comment on McDonald’s current production of “Gypsy,” where McDonald plays and is Tony-nominated for Mama Rose, the same role LuPone won a Tony for in 2008. Instead, LuPone stared at the interviewer before changing the subject.
McDonald denied LuPone’s claim that the two were fighting in a CBS interview with Gayle King.
“If there is a rift between us, I don’t know what it is. That’s something you would have to ask Patti about,” McDonald said. “I haven’t seen her in about 11 years just because we’ve been busy, just with life and stuff. So I don’t know what rift she’s talking about.”
An open letter that circulated Friday signed by more than 500 theater artists condemned LuPone’s comments and behavior as “deeply inappropriate and unacceptable.”
“This language is not only degrading and misogynistic — it is a blatant act of racialized disrespect. It constitutes bullying. It constitutes harassment. It is emblematic of the microaggressions and abuse that people in this industry have endured for far too long, too often without consequence,” the letter said.
In her apology Saturday, LuPone backtracked on her comments toward McDonald and Lewis and said she had made a mistake.
“Theatre has always been about lifting each other up and welcoming those who feel they don’t belong anywhere else,” LuPone said in her note Saturday. “ … I take full responsibility for it, and I am committed to making this right. Our entire theatre community deserves better.”