No Surprise, Audra McDonald Has No Idea About Patti LuPone Rift
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
Here’s the thing: Broadway is no stranger to drama. We love it. We thrive on it. But every once in a while, the drama leaps off the stage and into real life, and this time, it’s between two bona fide legends.
In a recent New Yorker interview, Patti LuPone—never one to mince words—referred to Audra McDonald as “not a friend.” Now, for anyone who grew up idolizing both of these powerhouse performers (raises hand), that comment landed like a dropped chandelier. What happened? Why the shade?
Well, Audra finally spoke out. And she handled it with the kind of grace that reminds you why she’s not just a six-time Tony winner but also a class act through and through.
In an interview with CBS Mornings, Audra was asked directly about Patti’s comment. Her response? Calm, clear, and beautifully unbothered. “If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is,” she said. “That’s something you’d have to ask Patti about. I haven’t seen her in about 11 years, just because we’ve been busy with life and stuff. So I don’t know what rift she’s talking about.”
That’s it. No dragging. No subtweets. Just honesty, and maybe a little bit of a reminder that sometimes people manufacture drama out of thin air. Audra didn’t even try to spin it. She just told the truth.
For context, this all seems to stem from the fallout around last year’s sound bleed drama. LuPone, who was starring in The Roommate, reportedly complained about noise from Hell’s Kitchen bleeding into her show. Actress Kecia Lewis, a star of Hell’s Kitchen, called out LuPone’s remarks as bullying and racially microaggressive. Audra responded with a couple of emojis on Instagram, just enough to show support for Lewis but not nearly enough to be considered a public takedown.
What Audra did in her response wasn’t just avoid the mud. She reminded us all how to walk through a storm without ever getting wet. No name-calling, no shade-throwing, no performative forgiveness tour. Just I don’t know what she’s talking about. I wish her well.
We talk a lot about professionalism in this industry. About being kind. About leading with empathy. But it’s rare to see those things on display in such a stark, public moment. Audra could’ve snapped back. She could’ve unpacked receipts or given us some coded Tony-worthy clapback. But she didn’t. She let Patti have her moment and then quietly reminded us all who she is.