Audra McDonald breaks the silence on the Patti Lupone Rift complaint

It turns out, Patti LuponeThe alleged quarrel with a Broadway icon Audra McDonald can be unilateral.

Thursday, “CBS Mornings” Unveiled a teaser video From the next interview with the co-host of Gayle King with McDonald, who received His 11th appointment Tony Award for the current renewal of “gypsy”, in which she makes history as The first black actor To represent pink mumm.

In the interview, take place next week, King asks McDonald his answer to Lupone claimwho appeared in the New Yorker Lupone bomb profilethat there is a flaw between the two actors.

“If there is a flaw between us, I don’t know what it is,” said McDonald. “This is something you should ask for Patti.”

She continued to note: “You know, I haven’t seen her for about 11 years just because we were busy, just with life and all that. So I don’t know what she is talking about, but you should ask her.”

Lupone’s suggestion of the quarrel between her and McDonald was one of several claims of the rise in eyebrows made by the actor “Agatha all along” in his conversation with the New Yorker, published on Monday.

The subject appeared when journalist Michael Schulman asked Lupone Approximately one incident in 2024 in which she contacted the stage management team of the musical of Alicia Keys “Hell’s Kitchen“, Which has a black predominance cast, to request that the sound clues of the show be adjusted. At the time, Lupone appeared in the room “The roommate“In a neighboring theater, and some sounds of” Hell’s Kitchen “were audible during the performances of his program.

The “Hell’s Kitchen” team seemed to respond quickly to Lupone’s demand. However, the exchange – as well as the public complaints of Lupone concerning the “cuisine of hell” being “too noisy”, As we see on Tiktok – prompted one of his winning stars of Tony, Kecia LewisTo accuse Lupone of behavior “intimidation” and “racly micro-aggressive” In an Instagram video.

In his cat With the New YorkerLupone called Lewis as “dog” and suggested that the actor, who is black, was not allowed to consider himself a “veteran” of Broadway despite his stars in “Dreamgirls” and “Once on this island”, among other musicals.

When he was told that McDonald had responded to Lewis’ Instagram video with support emojis, Lupone replied: “It’s typical of Audra. She is not a friend.”

The Lupone exit notes have also referred to a “longtime flaw” between her and McDonald before appearing to observe the “gypsy” performance of McDonald’s. In particular, Lupone played pink kmm in the Broadway production 2008 of “gypsy”, winning a Tony.

Although Lupone’s remarks on Lewis were the most incendiary, his assertion on McDonald also surprised many fans, given the two women played together repeatedly.

Since the publication of New Yorker’s play, many actors, writers and other members of the Broadway community rally Behind Lewis and McDonald while denouncing Lupone’s comments.

“I am actually grateful for the article, because now industry and the world can see Patti Lupone for whom it is really,” said playwright Bryan-Kyth Wilson Written on Instagram. “The way she talked about these incredibly talented black women – calling them by their names, reducing their contributions – it was disgusting. If a black woman had behaved in the same way, she would have been crucified.”

Actor and singer Shoshana beanOne of Lewis’s “Hell’s Kitchen” co-stars felt in the same way.

“Our government threatens the very existence of art and creators daily, our funding, our validity … while trying simultaneously to erase the history and contributions of blacks in this country,” she wrote on Instagram Stories, According to Playbill. “We will not allow attacks like this within our own community.”