Patti LuPone has responded to backlash over her recent wide-ranging interview, which included pointed digs at many other Broadway stars.
“For as long as I have worked in the theatre, I have spoken my mind and never apologized. That is changing today,” LuPone, 76, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, May 31. “I am deeply sorry for the words I used during The New Yorker interview, particularly about Kecia Lewis, which were demeaning and disrespectful.”
While speaking to the outlet, LuPone brushed off Lewis’ Broadway credits while lamenting about sharing a wall between their respective theaters. (Lewis, 59, performed in Hell’s Kitchen next door to where LuPone and Mia Farrow’s The Roommate was played in the New York theater district.)
“I regret my flippant and emotional responses during this interview, which were inaccurate,” LuPone added in her apology statement. “I am devastated that my behavior has offended others and run counter to what we hold dear in this community.”
Elsewhere in her New Yorker profile, LuPone claimed that fellow Broadway superstar Audra McDonald was “not a friend” for undisclosed reasons.
“I hope I have the chance to speak to Audra and Kecia personally to offer my sincere apologies,” she stressed, going on to address the open letter many stage actors signed, hoping to bar LuPone from attending the 2025 Tony Awards later in June. “I wholeheartedly agree with everything that was written in the open letter.”
She continued, “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.”
In the end, LuPone stressed that the “entire theatre community deserves better.”
While Lewis has not publicly addressed LuPone’s remarks, McDonald, 54, responded to the feud speculation during a May appearance on CBS Mornings.
“If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is,” McDonald said. “That’s something you’d have to ask Patti about. I haven’t seen her in about 11 years just because we’ve been busy with life and stuff, so I don’t know what rift she’s talking about, but you’d have to ask her.”
While neither Lewis nor McDonald has reacted to LuPone’s apology, many other stars were proud of the Agatha All Along star for owning her behavior.
“Well said, Patti ❤️????,” Andy Cohen replied via Instagram comment, while Sarah Paulson and Kristin Chenoweth each sent heart emojis.
