“No more free passes” — Broadway Community pens open letter to have Patti LuPone disinvited to the Tonys over controversial comments

Broadway thespians are rallying to ban Patti LuPone from attending this year's Tonys.

Over 500 performers have signed the petition, Variety has reported, which comes on the heels of the contentious remarks the seasoned thespian herself made recently about Audra McDonald and Hell's Kitchen alum Kecia Lewis in an interview with the New Yorker.

The "Open Letter from the Broadway Theater Community," dated May 30, notes that this initiative is done as a "collective call-in to our community."

"We write not to shame or isolate, but to speak with honesty, clarity, and care. This is a call for accountability, justice, and respect — rooted in love for the art form and for the people who make it possible. We believe our community can do better. We believe it must do better — especially when harm is done to those who have given so much to this industry."

In another part, it says of Patti LuPone:

"We cannot continue to welcome back those who harm others simply because of their fame or perceived value. This must stop. We will no longer tolerate violence—verbal, emotional, or physical—against artists within our own community. No more free passes. If our industry is truly committed to equity, justice, and respect, then those values must be applied consistently, even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially when it’s uncomfortable."

Patti LuPone's beef with Audra McDonald and Hell's Kitchen alum Kecia Lewis explored:

Variety has reported that the open letter has garnered signatures from Tony winners James Monroe Iglehart, J. Harrison Ghee, and Maleah Joi Moon, and even seasoned veterans like Ephraim Sykes, Wendell Pierce, and Jaquel Spivey.

In her interview with the outlet, which came out on May 26, LuPone reflected on the issues that came up as she was appearing in The Roommate for Broadway last year. At the time, the cast of the latter shared a wall with the Alicia Keys-crafted Hell’s Kitchen. Distressed by the loud noise, she asked Shubert Organization's head, Robert Wankel, to intervene and keep things under control.

Not long after, star Kecia Lewis took to Instagram to slam LuPone, accusing her of being a bully, being “racially microaggressive,” and “rooted in privilege.” McDonald voiced her support for Lewis by liking the post.

When the debacle was brought to light by The New Yorker‘s Michael Schulman, Patti LuPone replied, “Exactly.”

“And I thought, You should know better,” Patti LuPone continued at the time. “That’s typical of Audra. She’s not a friend.”

She also called Lewis, who nabbed a Tony award for her work in Hell's Kitchen, a “bi—” before questioning her status as a stage veteran.

“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–k she’s talking about,” LuPone told The New Yorker. “Don’t call yourself a vet, bi—.”

Patti LuPone also called out McDonald's performance in Gypsy.

"Recently, Patti LuPone made deeply inappropriate and unacceptable public comments about two of Broadway’s most respected and beloved artists: Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald. In a published interview with The New Yorker, she referred to Kecia Lewis—a Black woman and a 40-year veteran of the American stage—as a “b***.” This language is not only degrading and misogynistic—it is a blatant act of racialized disrespect. It constitutes bullying. It constitutes harassment. It is emblematic of the microaggressions and abuse that people in this industry have endured for far too long, too often without consequence," the open letter states.

It goes on,

"To publicly attack a woman who has contributed to this art form with such excellence, leadership, and grace—and to discredit the legacy of Audra McDonald, the most nominated and awarded performer in Tony Award history—is not simply a personal offense. It is a public affront to the values of collaboration, equity, and mutual respect that our theater community claims to uphold."

The letter also contends that Broadway has yet to take the incident seriously and penalize such misbehavior in the industry before comparing it to other gigantic powerhouses:

“This would not be tolerated in other industries. In 2021, the NFL fined the Washington Commanders $10 million and removed Dan Snyder from day-to-day operations after a toxic workplace culture came to light. Will Smith was banned from the Oscars for ten years after slapping a fellow artist during a live broadcast. These organizations acted swiftly to preserve their values and the integrity of their communities. Why should Broadway hold itself to a lower standard?

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The Tony Awards kicks off this June 8. As of this writing, Patti LuPone has yet to comment on the situation.

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