Broadway performers and theater professionals are calling on the producers of the Tony Awards to disinvite Patti LuPone from the show after the theater legend made controversial remarks about Audra McDonald and “Hell’s Kitchen” star Kecia Lewis in an interview with the New Yorker. The open letter has received more than 500 signatures, including those of Tony winners James Monroe Iglehart, J. Harrison Ghee and Maleah Joi Moon, as well as stage and screen veterans like Ephraim Sykes, Wendell Pierce, and Jaquel Spivey. Courtney Love is also among the signatories.
“No artist, producer, director, or leader — regardless of legacy or celebrity — should be allowed to weaponize their platform to belittle, threaten, or devalue others without consequence,” the letter reads.
In the New Yorker piece, which was published on May 26, LuPone addressed issues that arose last fall when she was appearing on Broadway in “The Roommate.” The theater where the show performed shared a wall with the Alicia Keys musical “Hell’s Kitchen,” and LuPone complained to the head of the Shubert Organization about the loud noises from which could be heard next door. She sent flowers to the cast and crew of “Hell’s Kitchen” when the noise problem was fixed. But she was later criticized on social media by Lewis, who said LuPone’s behavior was “bullying” and “racially microaggressive.” McDonald liked Lewis’ message.
When LuPone was asked by the New Yorker about Lewis’ post, she called the actress a “bitch” and questioned whether or not Lewis, who won a Tony for “Hell’s Kitchen,” was a Broadway veteran. In the same interview she dismissed McDonald as “not a friend” and shaded her performance in “Gypsy” (LuPone won a Tony appearing in an earlier revival of the musical.)
The open letter criticizes LuPone for her comments about Lewis, stating that “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.”
It goes on to criticize LuPone’s comments about McDonald.
“To publicly attack a woman who has contributed to this art form with such excellence, leadership, and grace — and to discredit the legacy of Audra McDonald, the most nominated and awarded performer in Tony Award history — is not simply a personal offense,” the letter reads. “It is a public affront to the values of collaboration, equity, and mutual respect that our theater community claims to uphold.”
The letter argues that Broadway has not done enough to condemn the misbehavior of powerful people in the industry, comparing it unfavorably to other businesses.
“This would not be tolerated in other industries. In 2021, the NFL fined the Washington Commanders $10 million and removed Dan Snyder from day-to-day operations after a toxic workplace culture came to light. Will Smith was banned from the Oscars for ten years after slapping a fellow artist during a live broadcast. These organizations acted swiftly to preserve their values and the integrity of their communities. Why should Broadway hold itself to a lower standard?”
The Tony Awards will air on June 8. A spokesperson for the awards did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for LuPone.
