Patti LuPone speaks publicly about her current relationship with Audra McDonald
Broadway legends Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald have reportedly parted ways, with LuPone stating in a recent New Yorker interview that she is no longer friends with McDonald. The exact reasons for the rift are not known, but tension has been apparent in the past.
Speaking about McDonald in the interview, published on May 26, LuPone simply stated, "Not a friend." She declined to elaborate on the circumstances that led to the falling out, noting that the quarrel occurred some time ago.
During the conversation, LuPone also commented on her thoughts regarding the Broadway community and a recent public disagreement with another theater star. The interviewer brought up McDonald's current role as Rose in Gypsy, a part LuPone famously played in the 2008 production, to which LuPone responded with silence.
Previously, LuPone and McDonald have shared the stage together. They performed together in the 2007 LA Opera production of Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and in the 2000 New York Philharmonic concert version of Sweeney Todd, where LuPone played Mrs. Lovett and McDonald portrayed the Beggar Woman.
The strained relationship between LuPone and McDonald came to light as LuPone addressed a conflict from late last year with Broadway actress Kecia Lewis. At the time, LuPone expressed frustration about hearing sound cues from the adjacent theater where Alicia Keys' musical Hell's Kitchen was playing while she was performing in The Roommate.
Lewis posted a video on Instagram accusing LuPone of bullying and making racially microaggressive comments, among other things. LuPone had a sharp response in the interview, stating, "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--- she's talking about. She's done seven. I've done 31. Don't call yourself a vet, bitch!"
It was noted that McDonald responded to Lewis' video with supportive emojis, to which LuPone replied, "Exactly. And I thought, 'You should know better.' That's typical of Audra." At the time of this writing, neither LuPone nor McDonald has given further public comment on the matter.
(Enrichment Data: The specific details behind the falling out between Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald are not explicitly stated in the available information. Their fractured relationship has been noted due to LuPone's past critical comments about various relationships and professional interactions, suggesting a history of friction or disagreements between them. Without more detailed information, the nature of their disagreement remains unclear.)
- Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald, once Broadway colleagues, seem to have diverged, as suggested by LuPone's recent statement, "Not a friend."
- In the realm of world entertainment and celebrities, the pop-culture buzz has been about the reported falling out between Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald, with their history shared on stages in productions like Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and Sweeney Todd.
- The feud between Patti LuPone and Kecia Lewis, another actress in the Broadway community, shone a light on the strained relationship between LuPone and McDonald, with Lewis' allegations of bullying and racially microaggressive comments, and McDonald expressing empathy with emojis.
