Audra McDonald reacts to Patti LuPone saying she’s ‘not a friend’

Tony-winning actress Audra McDonald has responded to fellow Broadway icon Patti LuPone’s recent shady interview in which the latter stated that the current Gypsy actress is “not a friend” amid a reported feud.

In a new interview with CBS Mornings personality Gayle King, McDonald addressed comments LuPone made in a widely criticized New Yorker profile, in which the Agatha All Along actress said she isn’t close to McDonald.

King asked McDonald if she was “surprised” by LuPone’s words, prompting the performer to question the alleged dissolution of their friendship.

“I mean, if there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is,” McDonald said. “That’s something you’d have to ask Patti about.”

McDonald added that she hasn’t been around LuPone in over a decade.

“I haven’t seen her in about 11 years because I’ve been busy with life and stuff,” McDonald continued. “So, I don’t know what rift she’s talking about. You’d have to ask her.”

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to a representative for LuPone for a response.

LuPone made headlines for the New Yorker piece, which probed into a 2024 incident that saw actress Kecia Lewis post a video publicly calling for LuPone to apologize for alleged “racial microaggressions” after the latter, who was working on a show inside a neighboring theater in New York City, reportedly inquired “about changing a couple of our sound cues because you found them to be too loud,” per Lewis. (A representative for LuPone did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment at the time.)

When the writer interviewing LuPone noted that McDonald gave Lewis’ video “supportive emojis” in the comments section, LuPone replied, “Exactly.”

She continued: “And I thought, You should know better. That’s typical of Audra. She’s not a friend.”

LuPone also drew criticism for her assessment of Lewis, saying “Oh, my God” in response to a question about the 2024 incident. “Here’s the problem. She calls herself a veteran? Let’s find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done, because she doesn’t know what the f— she’s talking about.” (A representative for Lewis did not respond to EW’s request for comment.)

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly‘s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Elsewhere in the interview, LuPone also reflected on her “instant dislike” of fellow star Kevin Kline, whom she met while the pair attended drama school at Julliard. 

Watch McDonald react to LuPone’s comments about her in the clip above.