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Patti LuPone Is Done with Broadway—and Almost Everything Else

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Patti LuPone Is Done with Broadway—and Almost Everything Else

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Patti LuPone Is Done with Broadway—and Almost Everything Else

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The seventy-six-year-old theatre diva, famed and feared for her salty bravado, dishes on Hal Prince, her non-friendship with Audra McDonald, and sexy but dumb New York Rangers.

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500 Broadway Performers Sign Open Letter Urging Tony Awards to Disinvite Patti LuPone for ‘Degrading and Misogynistic’ Comments

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500 Broadway Performers Sign Open Letter Urging Tony Awards to Disinvite Patti LuPone for ‘Degrading and Misogynistic’ Comments

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Broadway performers and theater professionals are calling on the producers of the Tony Awards to disinvite Patti LuPone from the show after the theater legend made controversial remarks about Audra McDonald and "Hell's Kitchen" star Kecia Lewis in an interview with the New Yorker. The open letter has received more than 500 signatures, including those of Tony winners James Monroe Iglehart, J. Harrison Ghee and Maleah Joi Moon, as well as stage and screen veterans like Ephraim Sykes, Wendell Pierce, and Jaquel Spivey. Courtney Love is also among the signatories.

"No artist, producer, director, or leader - regardless of legacy or celebrity - should be allowed to weaponize their platform to belittle, threaten, or devalue others without consequence," the letter reads.

In the New Yorker piece, which was published on May 26, LuPone addressed issues that arose last fall when she was appearing on Broadway in "The Roommate." The theater where the show performed shared a wall with the Alicia Keys musical "Hell's Kitchen," and LuPone complained to the head of the Shubert Organization about the noise coming from next door. She sent flowers to the cast and crew of "Hell's Kitchen" when the volume was lowered. But she was later criticized on social media by Lewis, who said LuPone's behavior was "bullying" and "racially microaggressive." McDonald liked Lewis' message.

When LuPone was asked by the New Yorker about Lewis' post, she called the actress a "bitch" and questioned whether or not Lewis, who won a Tony for "Hell's Kitchen," was a Broadway veteran. In the same interview she dismissed McDonald as "not a friend" and shaded her performance in "Gypsy" (LuPone won a Tony appearing in an earlier revival of the musical.)

The open letter criticizes LuPone for her comments about Lewis, stating that "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."

It goes on to criticize LuPone's comments about McDonald.

"To publicly attack a woman who has contributed to this art form with such excellence, leadership, and grace - and to discredit the legacy of Audra McDonald, the most nominated and awarded performer in Tony Award history - is not simply a personal offense," the letter reads. "It is a public affront to the values of collaboration, equity, and mutual respect that our theater community claims to uphold."

The letter argues that Broadway has not done enough to condemn the misbehavior of powerful people in the industry, comparing it unfavorably to other businesses.

"This would not be tolerated in other industries. In 2021, the NFL fined the Washington Commanders $10 million and removed Dan Snyder from day-to-day operations after a toxic workplace culture came to light. Will Smith was banned from the Oscars for ten years after slapping a fellow artist during a live broadcast. These organizations acted swiftly to preserve their values and the integrity of their communities. Why should Broadway hold itself to a lower standard?"

The Tony Awards will air on June 8. A spokesperson for the awards did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for LuPone.

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500 Broadway Performers Sign Open Letter Urging Tony Awards to Disinvite Patti LuPone for 'Degrading and Misogynistic' Comments

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500 Broadway performers have signed an open letter urging the Tonys to bar Patti LuPone, after she made controversial comments about Audra McDonald.

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Patti LuPone apologizes after she's denounced for 'degrading' comments about Kecia Lewis, Audra McDonald

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Patti LuPone apologizes after she's denounced for 'degrading' comments about Kecia Lewis, Audra McDonald

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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.

The letter, addressed to the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League, criticized LuPone for calling Lewis a "b----" and saying McDonald is "not a friend" in the New Yorker profile.

"This language is not only degrading and misogynistic - it is a blatant act of racialized disrespect. It constitutes bullying. It constitutes harassment," the letter says.

Theater publication Playbill reported signatories to the letter include Tony winners James Monroe Iglehart, Maleah Joi Moon and Wendell Pierce.

In her apology Saturday, LuPone said she, too, signs on to the document, at least in spirit. "​I wholeheartedly agree with everything that was written in the open letter."

She apologized for using words, particularly toward Lewis, that were "demeaning and disrespectful."

"I am deeply sorry," she said.

LuPone added, "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. I hope to have the chance to speak to Audra and Kecia personally to offer my sincere apologies."

Lewis stars in "Hell's Kitchen" on Broadway, for which she won a 2024 Tony Award. McDonald won the 2014 Tony Award for best actress in a play (her sixth) and is the first performer to win the award in all performance categories. She is nominated for the 11th time this year for her lead performance in the musical "Gypsy."

As of Saturday, the letter had garnered 682 signatures, according to a document that allows people to request the addition of their names.

"Individuals, including Patti Lupone, who use their platform to publicly demean, harass, or disparage fellow artists - particularly with racial, gendered, or otherwise violent language - should not be welcomed at industry events, including the Tony Awards, fundraisers, and public programs," the letter said.

The American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League - which present the Tony Awards, set to be held June 8 - did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

LuPone also did not immediately respond.

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. The play, which has since closed, shared a wall with the Tony-winning musical "Hell's Kitchen," featuring Lewis.

LuPone reportedly asked for the sound design of "Hell's Kitchen" to be adjusted because the music would bleed through the shared walls, and sent the sound and stage management team flowers and a thank-you note once it was fixed.

Lewis posted a video on Instagram in November in response, calling LuPone's actions "racially microaggressive" and "rooted in privilege."

Producers of "The Roommate" posted a statement the following day thanking the "Hell's Kitchen" staff for the fix, saying, "These kinds of sound accommodations from one show to another are not unusual and are always deeply appreciated."

LuPone said of the back-and-forth in the New Yorker interview: "Let's find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done, because she doesn't know what the f--- she's talking about. ... She's done seven. I've done 31. Don't call yourself a vet, b----."

The New Yorker noted that Lewis has actually done 10 shows and LuPone 28.

Michael Schulman, the interviewer, mentioned to LuPone that McDonald - who holds the record as the Broadway performer with the most Tony Awards and nominations - gave the video "supportive emojis."

The 76-year-old actor responded: "And I thought, 'You should know better.' That's typical of Audra. She's not a friend."

McDonald was asked about LuPone's comments in a "CBS Mornings" interview with Gayle King to discuss her latest Tony-nominated role as Mama Rose in "Gypsy."

"If there's a rift between us, I don't know what it is," McDonald said in a clip CBS shared on social media ahead of the full interview, which airs next week. "That's something that you'd have to ask Patti about."

The open letter said LuPone's attempt to "discredit" McDonald's legacy was not only a personal offense, but "a public affront to the values of collaboration, equity, and mutual respect that our theater community claims to uphold."

In her apology on Saturday, LuPone acknowledged those values and said she had let them down.

"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 said. "I made a mistake, I take full responsibility for it, and I am committed to making this right. Our entire theatre community deserves better."

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Patti LuPone apologizes after she's denounced for 'degrading' comments about Kecia Lewis, Audra McDonald

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More than 600 members of the Broadway community slammed the Tony winner after she gave an interview perceived as "misogynistic" and "bullying" toward her fellow performers.

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Awards, nominations, and roles

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Over 500 Broadway Artists Release Open Letter Reprimanding Patti LuPone

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Over 500 Broadway Artists Release Open Letter Reprimanding Patti LuPone

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Broadway News Over 500 Broadway Artists Release Open Letter Reprimanding Patti LuPone
May 31: This piece has been updated to include an apology from Patti LuPone.

Patti LuPone's recent comments in the New Yorker, about her fellow actors Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald, has continued to send shockwaves throughout the theatrical community. After individual Broadway artists, and even McDonald herself, responded, an open letter has now been circulating throughout the industry. The letter has received over 500 signatures, including from Tony winners James Monroe Iglehart, Maleah Joi Moon, and Wendell Pierce. The letter can be read in full here.*

The letter, which was provided to Playbill, addresses the Broadway League, the American Theatre Wing, and "the greater theatre community." It characterizes LuPone's comments about Lewis and McDonald as "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 also says that LuPone's comments are part of a pattern in the theatre industry, which has "a persistent failure to hold people accountable for violent, disrespectful, or harmful behavior-especially when they are powerful or well-known."

It then calls for the League and the Wing to disinvite LuPone (and anyone else "who use[s] their platform to publicly demean, harass, or disparage fellow artists") from industry events, including the Tony Awards. And it also asks those disinvited individuals, if they want to continue to engage with the community, to complete "comprehensive anti-bias or restorative justice programs." The letter also asks for "clear, transparent policies for addressing harmful behavior."

The League and the Wing are the producers of the Tony Awards. While the League and the Wing have previously made clear that equity, diversity, and inclusion are part of their organizational values, they have shied away from establishing industry-wide rules or policy on the topic.

Playbill has reached out to the League and the Wing for a response and will update this article accordingly if statements are received.

This latest bit of theatre drama can be traced back to last year, when LuPone was on Broadway in The Roommate, a show that shared a wall with Hell's Kitchen, where Lewis was (and is) giving her Tony-winning performance in the Alicia Keys musical. There was a noise complaint, where the cast of The Roommate asked if the Hell's Kitchen sound design could be modified to minimize sound bleed. After a video of LuPone disparaging Hell's Kitchen for being loud made the rounds on social media, Lewis took to Instagram to ask for an apology from LuPone and said that calling a show with a majority Black cast loud was a "microaggression."

When asked about the incident in the New Yorker, LuPone took issue with Lewis calling herself a "veteran," saying, "Let's find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done, because she doesn't know what the fuck she's talking about...She's done seven. I've done 31. Don't call yourself a vet, bitch." (Lewis has actually done 10 shows and LuPone has done 28 shows, though Lewis is younger than LuPone, having made her debut in the '80s). LuPone then added about the noise issue: "This is not unusual on Broadway. This happens all the time when walls are shared."

New Yorker writer Michael Schulman then brought up Audra McDonald, who had supported Lewis' video. And LuPone said: "And I thought, You should know better. That's typical of Audra. She's not a friend." She added that the two had a rift, which she declined to elaborate on.

Schulman then asked LuPone what she thought of McDonald's performance in Gypsy (a show that LuPone had also starred in on Broadway and won a Tony for), and the former Madame Rose declined to answer the question.

In a CBS interview, Gayle King asked McDonald to respond to LuPone's comments, to which the six-time Tony winner said: "If there is a rift between us, I don't know what it is. That's something you would have to ask Patti about. 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, but you'd have to ask her."

LuPone's comments have garnered passionate responses throughout the theatrical community, with everyone from Viola Davis to Donna Murphy weighing in -and the majority support Lewis and McDonald.

Those two actors weren't the only entities that LuPone criticized in the 6,000-word New Yorker profile. She also said that the Kennedy Center under President Trump "should get blown up," called Glenn Close a "bitch" (making it clear she hadn't forgiven Close for starring in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway, a part that had been promised to LuPone), and that she was done with Broadway (which she has said many times before her most recent Broadway show). But it is now clear, based on industry responses, which of LuPone's comments cut the deepest.
*Playbill has replaced a previous version of the letter with a revised version reflecting additional signatories to the letter (which now number over 700).
On May 31, LuPone posted an apology on her social media profiles, saying that she "wholeheartedly agree[s] with everything that was written in the open letter" and that, "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. I hope to have the chance to speak to Audra and Kecia personally to offer my sincere apologies."

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Over 500 Broadway Artists Release Open Letter Reprimanding Patti LuPone

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The letter also called on the American Theatre Wing and Broadway League to disinvite LuPone from the Tony Awards.

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Kecia Lewis on Instagram: "An open letter to Ms. Patti Lupone 🙏🏾 #Broadwaycommunity #Supporteachother #Communitymatters #BlacksonBroadway #respectfuldialogue"

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9,292 likes, 0 comments - therealkecialewis on November 2, 2024: "An open letter to Ms. Patti Lupone 🙏🏾 #Broadwaycommunity #Supporteachother #Communitymatters #BlacksonBroadway #respectfuldialogue". 

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