What did Patti Lupone say about Audra McDonald? Feud explored as Broadway legend says Good Fight star is “not a friend”

Patti LuPone has everybody talking in the theatre world this week as she revealed that another acclaimed stage performer, Audra McDonald, is “not a friend.” The comment was part of a new New Yorker profile released on May 26, 2025, in which LuPone delivered blunt assessments of several recent controversies, including a high-profile showdown with actress Kecia Lewis.

LuPone’s comment on McDonald came after journalist Michael Schulman asked LuPone about Lewis’s viral confrontation of her comments on the musical Hell’s Kitchen by another industry legend, Kecia Lewis.

Patti LuPone, who was performing in “The Roommate” last year, dubbed Alicia Keys’ musical “too loud,” a comment that Lewis, a Tony-winning actress, deemed “racially microaggressive,” “offensive,” and “rooted in privilege” at the time.

When Schulman told LuPone that Audra McDonald had defended Lewis on social by commenting two clapping emojis and two hearts on the post, LuPone remarked:

"Exactly... And I thought, 'You should know better.' That’s typical of Audra." She said.

LuPone continued stating that McDonald was “not a friend,” and did not elaborate on the reason behind their fallout.

When asked about the controversy involving her and Kecia Lewis, LuPone replied by throwing shade at Lewis’s Broadway résumé. She pointed out that Lewis had 7 Broadway credits, including roles on Dreamgirls and Once on This Island, while LuPone had 31 credits to her name.

"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, she’s done seven. I’ve done 31. Don’t call yourself a vet, b*tch!" Patti LuPone said.

A look into Audra McDonald's early career and legacy in the Broadway scene

Audra McDonald was born in Berlin in 1970 and raised in California. Born into a musical family, McDonald grew up singing and attended the Juilliard School, from which she graduated in 1993.

According to Britannica, her transition to Broadway was quick. She soon secured a Tony-winning lead in Carousel (1994) and later performed in Master Class (1996) and Ragtime (1998), both of which earned her additional Tony Awards.

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Towards her later career, Audra McDonald ventured into classical theater when she starred in Henry IV in 2003. She then won her first Tony playing a teacher opposite P. Diddy in Raisin in the Sun (2004). She starred in 110 in the Shade and performed in The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny in 2007.

She won a Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for playing Bess in Porgy and Bess (2012). Two years after that, she earned her record-setting sixth Tony Award for playing Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill.

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