A one-sided Broadway beef seems to be brewing between former friends Audra McDonald and Patti LuPone, yet only one actress is being praised for taking the high road.

It all began last week after LuPone, 76, caused some commotion in a recently published feature story and interview for The New Yorker magazine last week, where she said McDonald was “not a friend.”

LuPone was vague on the details about her rift with McDonald who seems to be completely clueless about it.

When asked about LuPone’s remarks during a CBS interview with Gayle King, the “Fences” star remained poised and brushed off the question, steering clear of any drama.

Audra McDonald, patti lupone
Patti LuPone (R) sparks Broadway chaos after her foul remarks toward fellow Tony-winning actress Audra McDonald (L). (Photos by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images; Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)

“If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is. That’s something you’d have to ask Patti about,” McDonald told King. “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.”

Many called her a “class act” online, including one who complimented her “Wonderful media training. Love it.”

Arthur Jeffrey Levy, Broadway voice coach, came to McDonald’s defense writing, “I have been AUDRA’s voice teacher and friend for over 30 years. In all that time I have never heard a critical or condescending word about a colleague. She is always gracious and totally invested in the process of being the best she can be. Clearly someone with a rage issue needs a target at all times. How silly since Lupone is a spectacular artist. Shame.”

LuPone, a star in the two-woman Broadway play “The Roommate,” also had choice words for another actress Kecia Lewis, 59, after a now-deleted video depicted LuPone telling a fan the Alicia Keys-inspired “Hell’s Kitchen” musical was “too loud.”

At one point, “The Roommate,” playing in the Booth Theatre, and “Hell’s Kitchen” in the Shubert Theatre next door shared a wall. LuPone contacted the Shubert Theatre management about the sound cues for “Hell’s Kitchen,” hoping the production would make changes to accommodate her complaints about the musical’s sounds bleeding next door.

In an “open letter” message uploaded to her Instagram in November 2024, Lewis decried the white actress labeling “a Black show loud” and called LuPone’s actions “offensive, racially microaggressive, and rude.”

The New York City native continued, “They’re rooted in privilege, and these actions also lack a sense of community and leadership for someone [such] as yourself who has been in the business as long as you have.”

“Here’s the problem. She calls herself a 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 fired back in The New Yorker article.

Shifting her attention, LuPone then turned to McDonald for apparently showing what she viewed as support for Lewis by posting emojis in the comments, which have now been disabled. She said, “And I thought, you should know better. That’s typical of Audra. She’s not a friend.”

In addition, LuPone chose to give an evasive answer when asked to share her opinion of McDonald currently starring in the “Gypsy” revival on Broadway. According to the magazine, she remained silent for 15 seconds before staring out the window and saying, “What a beautiful day.”

LuPone’s quotes about Lewis and McDonald spread across the internet, and people online were not fond of the alleged bad blood brewing in the theater world behind the scenes.

In light of her remarks, over 500 Broadway stars wrote their own “Open Letter” regarding LuPone’s “deeply inappropriate and unacceptable public comments about two of Broadway’s most respected and beloved artists” and specifically for calling Lewis a “b—h.”

“This language is not only degrading and misogynistic — it is a blatant act of racialized disrespect. It constitutes bullying. It constitutes harassment. It is emblematic of the microaggressions and abuse that people in this industry have endured for far too long, too often without consequence,” continued the letter displayed on the playbill.com website.

The three-page letter also urges the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League to respond with concrete measures — suggesting that artists who publicly disparage others in the community should be denied access to the Tonys, citing Will Smith’s ten-year ban from the Oscars after slapping Chris Rock on stage. It also proposes that eligibility for high-profile events be based on behavior that reflects the industry’s shared values.

As an act of good faith, LuPone issued her first-ever career apology following the backlash online on June 1.

“For as long as I have worked in the theatre, I have spoken my mind and never apologized. That is changing today,” LuPone began her statement. “I am deeply sorry for the words I used during ‘The New Yorker’ interview, particularly about Kecia Lewis, which were demeaning and disrespectful.”

She called her “flippant and emotional responses during this interview … inappropriate,” and expressed interest in speaking with McDonald and Lewis “personally.”

“I wholeheartedly agree with everything that was written in the open letter shared yesterday. 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 concluded. “I made a mistake, I take full responsibility for it, and I am committed to making this right. Our entire theatre community deserves better.”

Fans online applauded her accountability, writing, “It’s a great apology imho – she takes full responsibility, acknowledges the harm of her actions, and promises to do better‬. Hope more celebs take notes.”

But some called her bluff, saying she only apologized due to the backlash not because it was genuine.

“You say you’re sorry but you don’t say you regret what you did and you don’t say you’ll do better. This is a PR statement, not a genuine apology,” wrote one critic.

Another said, “A mistake is making a left instead of a right. This is who you are. It always has been.”

LuPone played Elizabeth “Libby” Thatcher in the ABC sitcom “Life Goes On,” which ran for four seasons from 1989 to 1993 as well as the 2008 “Gypsy” revival.

LuPone has won three Tony Awards throughout her career. Her 2008 performance in “Gypsy” earned an Laurence Olivier Award. She also scored two Grammy Awards in 2009 for “Weill: Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny.”

Like LuPone, McDonald is also a Juilliard School graduate. She’s also a six-time Tony winner and the proud recipient of two Grammy Awards and an Emmy Award.

With her performance in the acclaimed revival of “Gypsy” at the Majestic Theatre, McDonald’s earned her 11th Tony nomination—making her the most-nominated performer in the award’s history. Nominated for Best Actress in a Musical at the upcoming 2025 Tony Awards, she already holds the record for the most acting wins with six.

Lewis recently took home her first Tony Award for “Hell’s Kitchen” and also earned a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album in Feb. 2025, putting the actress halfway to EGOT status.

‘Shame’: Patti LuPone Forced to Apologize for ‘Offensive’ Remarks About Black Broadway Stars Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis Amid Industry Uproar