Patti Lupone On Audra McDonald Feud

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27-05-2025

If there's one type of feud that catches peoples' eyes, it's a Broadway feud. Remember when Laura Benanti slammed Zachary Levi late last year? (How could you not?)
The award for this year's messiest Broadway kerfluffle so far handily goes to Patti LuPone, who recently unspooled some grievances towards several fellow Broadway actors — including the legendary Audra McDonald – in a wide-ranging New Yorker profile.
The barbs started flying after interviewer Michael Schulman asked Patti about her conflict with Hell's Kitchen star Kecia Lewis. Last year, Kecia shared an "open letter" to Patti on IG accusing her of being "racially microaggressive" in several instances which Patti complained about the volume of Hell's Kitchen performances during her performance in The Roommate, which shared a wall with the Hell's Kitchen theater.
"In our industry, language holds power and shapes perception, often in ways that we may not immediately realize," Kecia said. "Referring to a predominantly Black Broadway show as 'loud' can unintentionally reinforce harmful stereotypes, and it also feels dismissive of the artistry and the voices that are being celebrated on stage....On Broadway, we are not just neighbors, Ms. LuPone, we're a community that shares in each other's artistry and challenges. Respect and collaboration are what keep us thriving and inspire the next generation."
Patti's response in the profile to Kecia's (very reasonable!) plea for decency was...not exactly charitable. "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. "She's done seven. I've done 31. Don't call yourself a vet, bitch!" (As the profile points out, Kecia Lewis actually has 10 Broadway credits to her name. Patti actually has 27.)
Things only got more heated when Michael pointed out to Patti that Audra had responded supportively to Kecia's IG post. "Exactly," she said. "And I thought, 'You should know better.' That's typical of Audra."
Patti went on to say that Audra is "not a friend," and claimed that the conflict between the two goes back a bit. But the real kicker came when Michael asked Patti about Audra's recent performance in Gypsy, which gained her a 11th Tony nomination — making her the most nominated performer in the awards' history.
When asked about the performance, Patti reportedly stared in silence for 15 seconds before turning to a nearby window and sighing, "What a beautiful day."
Jeez louise. Something tells me we haven't heard the last of this feud yet, but who knows!