Woman Accused of Microaggressions Disputes Claims With…More Microaggressions

In a new interview with the New Yorker, Patti LuPone insinuated Kecia Lewis isn't a "veteran" of Broadway and insulted Audra McDonald.

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Woman Accused of Microaggressions Disputes Claims With…More Microaggressions

At Patti LuPone’s best, she’s discussing the death of democracy or dodging death wings and dragging Kim Kardashian’s attempts at acting. But at Patti LuPone’s worst? She’s doubling down on her many microaggressions during an interview with the New Yorker.

On Monday, the magazine published a sit-down with the three-time Tony winner in which she delivered a diatribe on everything from what contributes to New York City traffic: “the arrogance of the people in the streets”; what’s become of the Kennedy Center: “it should get blown up”; and her reputation as a diva: “I know that I’m box-office. Don’t nickel-and-dime me before you put me onstage.” Overall, it’s an equal parts enthralling and truly enraging conversation to read. At one point, for instance, LuPone interrupts her own conversation with writer Michael Schulman to reprimand two fellow diners at a restaurant for speaking too loudly.

However, the most egregious part of the interview arrived when Schulman asked LuPone about her documented complaint that Hell’s Kitchen, Alicia Keys’ Tony-winning musical (which then shared a wall with the theater where LuPone was starring in The Roommate opposite Mia Farrow), was “too loud.” In November 2024, a fan-recorded video of LuPone rudely refusing to sign a theater-goer’s Hell’s Kitchen playbill at the stage door because the show was “too loud” began circulating. In response, one of the show’s stars, Kecia Lewis, posted a video on Instagram in which she called on LuPone to apologize for her “bullying,” “offensive,” “racially micro-aggressive,” “rude,” and “rooted in privilege” behavior. She also shared that LuPone called Robert Wankel, the head of the Shubert Organization, and asked that he, as Schulman wrote, “fix the noise problem.”

“In our industry, language holds power and shapes perception, often in ways that we may not immediately realize,” Lewis explained. “Referring to a predominantly Black Broadway show as loud can unintentionally reinforce harmful stereotypes, and it also feels dismissive of the artistry and the voices that are being celebrated on stage. Comments like these can be seen as racial micro-aggressions, which have a real impact on both artists and audiences.”

Lewis further asked for collaboration so “veterans” such as herself and LuPone can “reflect their influence within the Broadway community in a positive way and promote a culture of respect.” Seems like Lewis had more than fair expectations, right? Well, LuPone didn’t think so.

“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 fuck she’s talking about,” LuPone told Schulman. “She’s done seven. I’ve done 31. Don’t call yourself a vet, bitch!” She then tacked on: “This is not unusual on Broadway. This happens all the time when walls are shared.” As Schulman noted in the piece, Lewis actually has 10 Broadway credits to her name, while LuPone has 28. Frankly, LuPone’s aversion to accountability in this situation isn’t even the most offensive part. It’s her ignorance of the fact that it’s indisputably more difficult for Black women to rack up the Broadway titles quite as easily as LuPone has. That said, who the hell is LuPone to decide what constitutes a veteran?

Then, Schulman asked about the fact that Audra McDonald, another Black veteran on Broadway, co-signed Lewis’ video, reposting it on her Instagram stories. “Exactly,” LuPone vented. “And I thought, ‘You should know better.’ That’s typical of Audra. She’s not a friend.”

Given that LuPone has co-starred alongside McDonald in a number of productions like Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and the New York Philharmonic’s concert version of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, her comment is somewhat shocking. Especially considering they seemed like something akin to friends before. Apparently, the pair had a feud that LuPone told Schulman she didn’t wish to elaborate on. She also didn’t wish to speak about McDonald’s starring role in Gypsy that might just win her a seventh Tony award in June.

When asked about McDonald’s critically-acclaimed performance, Schulman wrote that LuPone “stared at me, in silence, for fifteen seconds. Then she turned to the window and sighed, ‘What a beautiful day.’”

The piece has invited justifiable ire online. “Patti LuPone??? You mean the Azealia Banks of American Theatre,” tweeted one user. “Patti LuPone shows that if you’re a white theatre icon with a gay fanbase, lots of people will excuse your misogyny and racism away as being catty diva like no you’re actually just petty and racist,” wrote another.

Honestly, couldn’t have said it better.


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