Photo: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
How many people does it take to make Patti LuPone apologize? Over 500, specifically over 500 Broadway stars. After receiving an open letter calling out her recent diva behavior, more specifically, LuPone randomly singling out Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis negatively during her New Yorker profile — she called Lewis a “bitch” and said McDonald was “not a friend” — LuPone has done the unthinkable: apologize for her actions. “For as long as I have worked in the theatre, I have spoken my mind and never apologized. That is changing today,” she began in a statement released on 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. 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.”
McDonald had already addressed LuPone’s original comments in an interview with CBS Sunday Mornings, claiming that the two had not spoken in 11 years and she had no idea why LuPone would be upset with her. “That’s something you’ll have to ask Patti about. I haven’t seen her in about 11 years, just because we’ve been busy just with life and stuff. So I don’t know what rift she’s talking about, but you’d have to ask her,” she explained.
LuPone also directly addressed the open letter released yesterday, agreeing with the sentiment that there should be “accountability, justice, and respect” in the theater community. “I wholeheartedly agree with everything that was written in the open letter shared yesterday,” she concluded. “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.”
