CNN
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Patti Lupone has issued an apology after making what she now describes as “demeaning and disrespectful” comments about two fellow Broadway stars in an interview with the New Yorker last week.
The “Evita” star’s apology comes after hundreds of performers from the Broadway and theater communities issued an open letter first published by Playbill and called for accountability in light of Lupone’s “deeply inappropriate and unacceptable public comments” about Broadway stars Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald.
In the interview, Lupone referred to Lewis as a “b*tch” and said McDonald was “not a friend,” prompting a wave of backlash against the notoriously thorny legend. Lupone had previously had public spats with both performers.
“I am deeply sorry for the words I used during The New Yorker interview, particularly about Kecia Lewis, which were demeaning and disrespectful,” Lupone wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram page 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.”
Lupone added that she hopes “to have the chance to speak to” McDonald and Lewis personally to offer her “sincere apologies.”
The letter, which was issued to the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League, also called upon the institutions to take action by not welcoming Lupone at “industry events,” including the Tony Awards, which are presented by the two institutions.
“This language is not only degrading and misogynistic—it is a blatant act of racialized disrespect. It constitutes bullying. It constitutes harassment,” the letter stated. “It is emblematic of the microaggressions and abuse that people in this industry have endured for far too long, too often without consequence.”
The Tony Awards are set to take place June 8.
In her apology on Saturday, Lupone wrote that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with “everything that was written” in the open letter.
“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 wrote. “I made a mistake, I take full responsibility for it, and I am committed to making this right. Our entire theatre community deserves better.”
CNN has reached out to representatives for Lupone, Lewis and McDonald for comment.
In the New Yorker interview, Lupone was asked about an incident that happened last year when Lewis posted a video to her Instagram page asking for an apology from Lupone after she had called “Hell’s Kitchen,” the stage production in which Lewis stars, “too loud.” She said Lupone, who was at the time starring in “The Roommate” in the theater next to “Hell’s Kitchen,” had requested that the latter’s sound department make adjustments.
In Lewis’ video, she called herself and Lupone veterans in the industry and said Lupone’s actions were “offensive” and “racially microaggressive.”
When asked about the incident by the New Yorker, Lupone responded: “Don’t call yourself a vet, b*tch.”
“This is not unusual on Broadway. This happens all the time when walls are shared,” she added.
Lupone also reacted to McDonald showing support for Lewis in the comments section of the video, telling the New Yorker she thought “that’s typical of Audra.”
“She’s not a friend,” she said.
McDonald was asked about Lupone’s comments on “CBS This Morning” on Thursday, but seemingly took the high road.
“If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is,” she said. “That’s something that you’d have to ask Patti about.”
