Patti LuPone issued an apology after the Broadway community called her out for “bullying” following her recent comments in the New Yorker.
“Throughout my career in theatre, I have been outspoken and unapologetic. However, that’s about to change,” LuPone announced in a statement she posted on Instagram this Saturday.
“I am deeply sorry for the words I used during ‘The New Yorker’ interview, particularly about Kecia Lewis, which were demeaning and disrespectful.”
The actress added that she feels “regret” over her “flippant” and “emotional” comments about her colleagues, which she called “inappropriate.”
“I am heartbroken that my actions have offended others and contradicted the values we cherish in this community. I am hopeful for the opportunity to directly apologize to Audra and Kecia,” she added.
She concluded by saying that she “wholeheartedly” agrees with the open letter written by her Broadway peers.
“Whether in middle school drama clubs or on professional stages, theatre has always been about supporting one another and welcoming those who feel out of place elsewhere,” 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.”
LuPone, 76, faced the backlash after she lambasted fellow Broadway stars Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis in her New Yorker profile published Monday.
“She’s not a friend,” LuPone said of McDonald. She also declined to share her thoughts on McDonald’s performance as Mama Rose in “Gypsy.”
LuPone also called Lewis a “bitch” as she criticized her for referring to herself as a Broadway veteran.
“Let’s find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done, because she doesn’t know what the f–k she’s talking about,” LuPone said.
“She’s done seven. I’ve done 31. Don’t call yourself a vet, bitch!”
McDonald later skillfully addressed her alleged feud with LuPone in a preview from her “CBS Mornings” interview.
“If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is,” the “Private Practice” alum said.
“That’s something you’d have to ask Patti about,” McDonald, 54, added.
Over 500 Broadway artists then came together to issue a scathing response to LuPone in an open letter shared Friday.
“Recently, Patti LuPone made deeply inappropriate and unacceptable public comments about two of Broadway’s most respected and beloved artists,” the letter read, calling LuPone’s comments “degrading and misogynistic” and “a blatant act of racialized disrespect.”
