Overview

• In a New Yorker interview published May 26, Patti LuPone described Audra McDonald as “not a friend” and dismissed Kecia Lewis’s Broadway experience with a derogatory slur.
• On May 29, McDonald told Gayle King on CBS Sunday Morning that she hasn’t seen LuPone in over a decade and was unaware of any feud between them.
• Broadway actors and organizations have condemned LuPone’s remarks as racially insensitive, with high-profile Black artists publicly defending McDonald and Lewis.
• Last year, Kecia Lewis accused LuPone of “bullying” and “racially microaggressive” behavior after LuPone complained about sound levels from Lewis’s Hell’s Kitchen next door.
• McDonald’s portrayal of Rose in Gypsy earned her a record 11th Tony Award nomination ahead of the June 8 ceremony, drawing fresh attention to the dispute.