Pigs can fly! Patti LuPone actually apologizes for Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis comments

Broadway legend Patti LuPone issued a heartfelt apology on Saturday (June 31, 2025) to fellow stage stars Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald after her controversial comments in a New Yorker interview sparked outrage from over 500 theater professionals.

Patti Lupone at the 2024 Disney Upfront in New York on May 14, 2024. Photo Credit: Janet Mayer/INSTARimages.com

“For as long as I have worked in the theatre, I have spoken my mind and never apologized. That is changing today,” the Tony-winning actress shared on Instagram.

“I am deeply sorry for the words I used during the New Yorker interview, particularly about Kecia Lewis, which were demeaning and disrespectful,” she continued. “I regret my flippant and emotional responses during the interview, which were inappropriate, and I am devastated that my behavior has offended others and has run counter to what we hold dear in this community. I hope to have the chance to speak to Audra and Kecia personally to offer my sincere apologies.”

Patti LuPone arrives at the 40th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards 2025 held at the Santa Monica Beach on February 22, 2025 in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California, United States. Photo credit: depositphotos.com

“I wholeheartedly agree with everything that was written in the open letter shared yesterday. From middle school drama clubs to professional stages, theatre has always been about lifting each other up and welcoming those who feel they don’t belong anywhere else,” LuPone concluded her message. “I made a mistake, I take full responsibility for it and I am committed to making this right. Our entire theatre community deserves better.”

The “WandaVision” star’s mea culpa comes five days after she declared McDonald wasn’t a friend and dismissed Lewis with the harsh words “Don’t call yourself a vet, bitch.”

Responding to the drama, The Practice star McDonald told Gayle King on Thursday, “If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is. That’s something you’d have to ask Patti about. You know, I haven’t seen her in about 11 years just because we’ve been busy just with life. So I don’t know what rift she’s talking about, but you’d have to ask her.”

American actress Patti LuPone arrives at the World Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘The School For Good And Evil’ held at Regency Village Theatre on October 18, 2022 in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States. Photo credit: depositphotos.com

The scathing open letter published by Playbill slammed LuPone’s remarks as “emblematic of the microaggressions and abuse that people in this industry have endured for far too long, too often without consequence,” with language that was “not only degrading and misogynistic — it is a blatant act of racialized disrespect.”

The letter also called for the American Theatre Wing to uninvite LuPone from next weekend’s 2025 Tony Awards ceremony.