Patti LuPone is apologizing for the recent comments she made in a New Yorker profile about Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis that’s had the theater world buzzing.
“For as long as I have worked in the theatre, I have spoken my mind and never apologized. That is changing today. I am deeply sorry for the words I used during The New Yorker interview, particularly about Kecia Lewis, which were demeaning and disrespectful,” she wrote on Instagram on Saturday. “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.
“I wholeheartedly agree with everything that was written in the open letter shared yesterday. 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,” LuPone continued. “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 Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Lewis and McDonald’s reps for comment.
On Friday, Playbill reported that there was a letter that over 500 Broadway performers signed reprimanding LuPone’s behavior. The letter, in part, read that her comments were a “persistent failure to hold people accountable for violent, disrespectful, or harmful behavior — especially when they are powerful or well-known.” Tony winners Wendell Pierce, James Monroe Iglehart and Maleah Joi Moon signed it as well as Courtney Love.
Last fall, while LuPone was starring in The Roommate, she filed a noise complaint about the musical next door, Hell’s Kitchen, which Lewis was in. Lewis then took to Instagram to say that LuPone was “bullying,” “racially microaggressive” and “rooted in privilege.”
In the New Yorker interview, LuPone responded by saying, “Here’s the problem. She calls herself a veteran? 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 said. “Don’t call yourself a vet, bitch.”
LuPone also said that McDonald was “not a friend” and that they had a rift years ago. However, on Thursday, McDonald appeared on CBS Mornings to promote Gypsy and her 11th Tony nomination, and said she was surprised by LuPone’s comments. “If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is. That’s something you’d have to ask Patti about,” she said. “I haven’t seen her in about 11 years because I’ve been busy with life and stuff.”
