Patti LuPone Apologizes for Her ‘Demeaning and Disrespectful' Comments on Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald
'For as long as I have worked in the theatre, I have spoken my mind and never apologized. That is changing today,' LuPone wrote in the opening of a statement released via Instagram on Saturday (May 31).
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'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,' said LuPone.
LuPone's response arrived the day after after an open letter directed at her — and signed by more than 500 individuals in the Broadway world — was published in outcry to comments from the actress perceived to be 'degrading and misogynistic,' as well as a 'blatant act of racialized disrespect.' The letter was also aimed at 'a culture, a pattern' in the Broadway industry: 'a persistent failure to hold people accountable for violent, disrespectful, or harmful behavior — especially when they are powerful or well-known.'
In Saturday's statement, LuPone acknowledged the message of the letter and expressed regret over what she said about her peers.
'I wholeheartedly agree with everything that was written in the open letter shared yesterday,' she wrote. '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. I made a mistake, I take full responsibility for it, and I am committed to making this right. Our entire theatre community deserves better.'
The New Yorker ran a profile on LuPone earlier this week that quoted her calling Lewis — who's in the Alicia Keys-created Broadway musical Hell's Kitchen, which was performed next door to the LuPone-starring The Roommate in 2024 — a 'b—-' for considering herself a stage 'veteran.'
The piece had LuPone recounting complaints she'd made to Shubert Organization head Robert Wankel that sound from Lewis' Hell's Kitchen could be heard during her stage time in The Roommate. (Lewis had responded to LuPone's complaints on Instagram at the time, and deemed them 'bullying,' 'racially microaggressive' and 'rooted in privilege' for calling 'a Black show loud.')
'She calls herself a veteran?' LuPone said in The New Yorker article dated May 26. 'Let's find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done, because she doesn't know what the f— she's talking about. Don't call yourself a vet, b—-.'
LuPone also remarked that she had a 'rift' with McDonald, who'd shown support for Lewis: 'That's typical of Audra. She's not a friend,' LuPone told The New Yorker; McDonald later said she was unaware of the rift.
LuPone, a three-time Tony Award and two-time Grammy Award winner, in 2024 starred as Robyn opposite Mia Farrow's Sharon in The Roommate for the dark comedy's four-month engagement on Broadway at the Booth Theatre. She just wrapped a series of concert dates that ran across select U.S. cities from late January through late May, with a couple festival appearances slated for this summer.
In 2024 Lewis won her first Tony, for best featured actress in a musical, for her work as Miss Liza Jane in Hell's Kitchen, the Broadway production whose performers were also awarded the Grammy for best musical theater album last year. Hell's Kitchen is presently still playing on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre.
McDonald, currently leading the Broadway revival of Gypsy at the Majestic Theatre, has won six Tonys, two Grammys and an Emmy throughout her career. Nominated for her portrayal of Rose in Gypsy, she's up for another Tony, for best actress in a musical, at this year's ceremony. She holds a record number of total Tony nominations (11).
The 2025 Tony Awards will broadcast live to both coasts on CBS just a week from today, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 8; the show will also stream on Paramount+.
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