Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty; Dia Dipasupil/Getty Patti LuPone is opening up about her friendship with Audra McDonald, calling the six-time Tony Award winner "not a friend" McDonald had supportedHell's Kitchenstar Kecia Lewis after Lewis accused LuPone of "privilege" and "bullying" LuPone also fires back at Lewis, saying the Broadway vet "doesn't know what the f--- she's talking about" Patti LuPoneisn't mincing words when it comes to where she stands with fellow Broadway iconAudra McDonald. In aNew Yorkerprofilepublished Monday, May 26 to promote her upcoming guest spot in...And Just Like That, LuPone made it clear the two no longer have a positive relationship, telling interviewer Michael Schulman that McDonald is "not a friend." Though LuPone, 76, did not elaborate on the history of their falling out, she told the outlet it was a long-ago rift. When asked what she thought of McDonald's current turn as Rose inGypsy, LuPone — who won a Tony for playing the same role in the 2008 production — reportedly stared in silence for 15 seconds before turning to the window and sighing, "What a beautiful day." Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic McDonald received her record-making 11th Tony nomination forGypsy,becoming the most nominated performer of all time. The actress already holds the record for wins, with six Tonys. (LuPone has three.) She and LuPone have worked together in the past, performing in concerts, galas and in the 2007 LA Opera production ofRise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.They also costarred in the 2000 New York Philharmonic's concert version ofSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, with LuPone as Mrs. Lovett and McDonald as the Beggar Woman. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Richard Hartog/Los Angeles Times via Getty The topic of their friendship came up in theNew Yorkerpiece when Schulman asked LuPone about the conflict she had late last year with another Broadway diva: Kecia Lewis. TheHell's Kitchenstar hadposted a video to Instagram criticizing LuPone for calling the Alicia Keys musical "too loud"— remarks that Lewis dubbed "bullying," "offensive," "racially microaggressive," "rude" and "rooted in privilege." At the time, LuPone was starring opposite Mia Farrow in the playThe Roommateand had been complaining about hearingHell's Kitchen's sound cues through the wall the two buildings shared. LuPone didn't hold back when asked about Lewis' post. "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 said. "She's done seven. I've done 31. Don't call yourself a vet, bitch!" As Schulman pointed out, Lewis — who was in the original Broadway company ofDreamgirls— actually had 10 Broadway credits, and LuPone, 28. But when told that McDonald had responded to the video with supportive emojis, LuPone's reaction was equally pointed. "Exactly," she said. "And I thought, 'You should know better.' That's typical of Audra." Julieta Cervantes PEOPLE reached out to McDonald's reps for comment. The George C. Wolfe revival ofGypsymarks the first time the character of Rose has been played on Broadway by a Black actress.Tickets for the musicalare now on sale. Though LuPone has stayed silent about that production, she has praised another revival this season of a musical she formerly starred in: Jamie Lloyd's production ofSunset Blvd.starring Nicole Scherzinger. "I love this production," she said back in December, in a voice message toNY1's Frank DiLella sharedon his social media account. "The lighting. The use of the filming was something that I questioned because I don't know where I am — am I at a movie or am I at the theater? This worked brilliantly." "The whole thing, the whole thing," LuPone said. "I was energized when I left the theater. I loved it." Read the original article onPeople
