Broadway Icon Patti LuPone Apologizes After Backlash Over ‘Disrespectful’ Comments About Fellow Actors

Veteran Broadway star Patti LuPone has issued a public apology following intense backlash over what she now admits were “demeaning and disrespectful” remarks made about fellow actors Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald in a recent New Yorker interview.

The apology, posted to LuPone’s Instagram over the weekend, follows a wave of condemnation from the theatre world. Hundreds of performers, producers, and creatives signed an open letter—first published by Playbill—calling for accountability after the Tony-winning actress referred to Lewis as a “b*tch” and dismissed McDonald as “not a friend.”

In her statement, LuPone wrote, “I am deeply sorry for the words I used during The New Yorker interview, particularly about Kecia Lewis, which were demeaning and disrespectful… I take full responsibility for my flippant and emotional responses and regret that they caused hurt in a community I care deeply about.”

LuPone’s comments stemmed from a longstanding dispute that resurfaced publicly when Lewis posted a video last year criticizing the actress for reportedly requesting sound adjustments to the Hell’s Kitchen production, in which Lewis stars, while LuPone was performing in a neighboring theater. Lewis described the interaction as “offensive” and “racially microaggressive.”

When asked about the incident, LuPone lashed out in the New Yorker interview: “Don’t call yourself a vet, b*tch.” She also criticized McDonald—who had shown support for Lewis on social media—saying, “That’s typical of Audra. She’s not a friend.”

Those remarks have now prompted not only an apology but also calls for consequences. The open letter addressed to the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League—organizers of the Tony Awards—urged both institutions to take meaningful action, including reconsidering LuPone’s inclusion at major industry events.

“This language is not only degrading and misogynistic—it is a blatant act of racialized disrespect,” the letter read. “It constitutes bullying and harassment and reflects broader patterns of harm that many in this industry have long endured.”

LuPone, in her apology, said she agrees “wholeheartedly” with the letter’s sentiments and expressed hope for reconciliation with Lewis and McDonald, noting her desire to apologize personally.

“If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is,” McDonald said diplomatically when asked about the controversy during an appearance on CBS This Morning. “That’s something you’d have to ask Patti about.”

With the Tony Awards set for June 8, the controversy has sparked a wider conversation about conduct, inclusion, and accountability in the theater world—an industry often hailed for its progressive values but still reckoning with internal inequities.

As LuPone herself put it: “Theatre has always been about lifting each other up and welcoming those who feel they don’t belong anywhere else… I made a mistake, and I am committed to making this right.”

Whether the apology and intention to reconcile are enough remains to be seen—but for now, Broadway is taking stock of its values, both on and off stage.


By WafricNews Desk.