Audra McDonald Breaks Silence On Patti LuPone’s ‘Rift’ Claim — And Adds 1 Major Detail

Audra McDonald and Patti LuPoneIt turns out that Patti LuPone’s alleged feud with fellow Broadway icon Audra McDonald may be one-sided. On Thursday, CBS Mornings unveiled a teaser video of Gayle King’s upcoming interview with Audra, who received her 11th Tony Award nomination for the current Broadway revival of Gypsy, in which she makes history as the first Black actor to portray Momma Rose.In the interview, set to air next week, Gayle asks the musical theatre star for her response to Patti’s claim, which appeared in a recent bombshell profile in The New Yorker, that there’s a rift between the two actors.“If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is,” Audra told the interviewer. “That’s something you’d have to ask Patti about.”She went on to note: “You know, 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.”View this post on InstagramA post shared by CBS Mornings (@cbsmornings)Patti’s suggestion of a feud between her and Audra was among several eyebrow-raising assertions made by the Agatha All Along actor in her conversation with The New Yorker, published on Monday. The subject came up when journalist Michael Schulman asked Patti about an incident last year in which she contacted the stage management team of the Alicia Keys musical Hell’s Kitchen, which boasts a predominately Black cast, to ask that the show’s sound cues be adjusted.At the time, Patti was appearing in the play The Roommate at a neighbouring theatre, and alleged certain sounds in Hell’s Kitchen were audible during her show’s performances. The Hell’s Kitchen team appeared to accommodate Patti’s request quickly. However, the exchange ― as well as Patti’s public complaints about Hell’s Kitchen being “too loud”, as seen on TikTok ― prompted one of its Tony-winning stars, Kecia Lewis, to accuse Patti of “bullying” and “racially microaggressive” behaviour in an Instagram video. In her chat with The New Yorker, Patti called Kecia a “bitch” and suggested the actor, who is Black, didn’t have the right to deem herself a Broadway “veteran” despite having starred in Dreamgirls and Once On This Island, among other musicals. When told that Audra had responded to Kecia’s Instagram video with supportive emojis, Patti replied: “That’s typical of Audra. She’s not a friend.” Patti LuPone, right, is facing backlash after comments she made about fellow actor Audra McDonald in an interview with The New Yorker. The outlet notes Patti also alluded to a “long-ago rift” between her and Audra, before appearing to shade Audra’s Gypsy performance. Notably, Patti played Momma Rose in the 2008 Broadway production of Gypsy, winning a Tony.Though Patti’s remarks about Kecia have been the most incendiary, her claim about Audra also surprised many fans, given the two women have performed together on multiple occasions over the years.Since The New Yorker piece was published, numerous actors, writers and other members of the Broadway community have rallied behind Kecia and Audra while denouncing Patti’s comments.“I’m actually thankful for the article, because now the industry and the world can see Patti LuPone for who she truly is,” playwright Bryan-Keyth Wilson wrote on Instagram.“The way she spoke about these incredibly talented Black women – calling them out of their names, diminishing their contributions – it was disgusting. If a Black woman had behaved the same way, she would’ve been crucified.”Actor and singer Shoshana Bean, one of Kecia’s Hell’s Kitchen co-stars, felt similarly. “Our government is threatening the very existence of art and creators on a daily basis, our funding, our validity... while simultaneously trying to erase the history and contributions of Black people in this country,” she wrote on Instagram Stories, according to Playbill. “We won’t allow attacks like this within our own community.” READ MORE:Patti LuPone Doubles Down On Past Comments About 'Movie Killer' MadonnaAmerican Horror Story Star Patti LuPone Blasts Kim Kardashian's Upcoming Stint In The ShowWe Can't Stop Watching This Clip Of Agatha All Along Star Patti LuPone Being Very Honest About Marvel

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