Broadway icon Patti LuPone gave a shocking response to remarks made by fellow Broadway star Kecia Lewis, who previously said some of LuPone’s past actions were examples of racial microaggressions — and the entire situation spurred a lot of chatter online.
During an interview with The New Yorker published Monday, LuPone was asked to address Lewis’s accusations. In case you haven’t been following the Broadway drama and apparent feud, here’s the backstory: Lewis, a Broadway veteran, stars in the Alicia Keys musical “Hell’s Kitchen.” The musical previously shared a wall with a show that starred LuPone, “The Roommate,” which ran on Broadway for 16 weeks and concluded in December 2024.
At the time, LuPone, who is white, contacted the owner of the Shubert Theatre, where “Hell’s Kitchen” plays, to ask for the volume of the musical’s sound cues to be adjusted, claiming that the sound bled through. In November, Lewis posted a video on Instagram and accused LuPone of bullying, saying her actions were “rooted in privilege.” Lewis, who’s Black, said that LuPone describing “Hell’s Kitchen,” which features a predominantly Black cast, as “too loud” was a racial microaggression.
A TikTok video posted online the month prior shows LuPone signing autographs from fans outside a theater, at one point telling a fan that she refused to sign a “Hell’s Kitchen” playbook because the musical was “too loud.”
“In our industry, language holds power and shapes perception, often in ways that we may not immediately realize,” Lewis said in her Instagram video. “Referring to a predominantly Black Broadway show as ‘loud’ can unintentionally reinforce harmful stereotypes, and it also feels dismissive of the artistry and the voices that are being celebrated on stage.”
LuPone brushed off the situation in her recent interview with The New Yorker, saying that the noise issue was “not unusual on Broadway” and that it “happens all the time when walls are shared.” She told the publication that once the situation was taken care of, she sent thank-you flowers to the musical’s crew.
But it was LuPone’s other responses to Lewis in The New Yorker piece that caused a stir on social media and in the theater community. In response to Lewis’s comments about racial microaggressions, LuPone sought to discredit Lewis’s 40-plus years in the business, saying: “She calls herself a veteran? Let’s find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done, because she doesn’t know what the fuck she’s talking about.”
“Don’t call yourself a vet, bitch,” she added, after the publication reported that LuPone googled Lewis’s career history during the interview.
People on X, formerly Twitter, were outraged by LuPone’s dismissive response to Lewis, an award-winning stage veteran, and that she used such derogatory language toward her. The situation also sparked conversations about racial microaggressions and what constitutes one.
Many on X agreed with Lewis that LuPone’s actions surrounding the “Hell’s Kitchen” sound debacle were an example of a racial microaggression, given pervasive stereotypes about Black people being “loud” and Broadway’s history with a lack of racial representation both on and off stage. Others said it wasn’t a microagression, instead suggesting that LuPone was just being mean and petty, or showing “diva behavior.”
Monica Cwynar, a licensed clinical social worker with Thriveworks who specializes in trauma and coping skills, told HuffPost that the situation surrounding LuPone and Lewis serves as a reminder that “we as a society have a lot of work to do.”
She said that Lewis’ statement that LuPone’s actions and remarks about “Hell’s Kitchen” being “too loud” were examples of microaggressions “rings true.”
LuPone’s actions highlight “how well-meaning critiques can inadvertently reinforce harmful stereotypes about Black communities, suggesting that certain cultural expressions, like the vibrancy and energy of the ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ cast, are somehow ‘too much’ or are problematic,” she said.
Cwynar said that as a Black therapist, she often sees similar situations like this in her practice.
“I see this a lot with Black people who have reached a career high and are offended and feel disrespected for simply existing in a space that they have every right to be in,” she said. “This speaks to a broader pattern where the voices and experiences of marginalized individuals are minimized or ignored.”
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LuPone contacting higher-ups to address her sound concerns can be viewed as an act of privilege, experts say.
Cwynar said it’s important to understand the context of the situation between LuPone and Lewis.
Comments or critiques made about “Hell’s Kitchen” can be “particularly sensitive given Broadway’s historical issues with representation and the ways cultural expressions of sound can be intertwined with identity.”
“By contacting higher-ups, it appears she sought to address her discomfort, but that action can also be seen as an exercise of privilege,” she said.
Deepak Sarma, inaugural distinguished scholar in the public humanities at Case Western Reserve University, told HuffPost that “contacting managers and administrators is useful when communication has failed.”
“By going above their heads right away she appears antagonistic and condescending,” Sarma continued. “And as a privileged person who is a Broadway veteran, it was incumbent on her to know something about the makeup of the Hell’s Kitchen cast.”
LuPone’s response to Lewis’ concerns was quite telling, according to experts.
Cwynar thinks that LuPone’s original remarks about “Hell’s Kitchen” being “too loud” raised “flags regarding her intent and awareness of the context,” but that her follow-up comments in The New Yorker demonstrate that “she meant to be unkind.”
“LuPone’s reaction to Lewis’ concerns reflects poorly on her ability to engage in constructive dialogue and may suggest a deeper, more hidden meaning behind her comments,” she continued. “Her need to minimize Lewis’ career as if she is not a highly talented performer is unnecessary and clearly not fair or true.”
“This could have been a moment of learning, understanding and growth,” she added.
Sarma said that LuPone’s comments in The New Yorker are “more evidence of the incivility of discourse in America today.”
“As a privileged person her disrespectful and churlish behavior is even more problematic and reinforces oppressive hierarchies,” they said, adding that LuPone’s reaction to Lewis was also an example of “gaslighting.”
And unlike LuPone’s “loud” complaint surrounding “Hell’s Kitchen,” her comments about Lewis in The New Yorker were anything but a “microaggression” — the attacks were clear, said Shaun Harper, a professor of business, public policy and education at the University of Southern California.
“LuPone referring to Lewis as a bitch is not a microaggression — it is an inexcusable demonstration of unprofessionalism,” he said, adding that he believes there may be double standards at play — he thinks Lewis would have been treated differently on Broadway had she called a white colleague a bitch.
“Black fans and supporters are holding LuPone accountable on social media,” he said. “What will Broadway leaders do? Silence is complicity.”
It’s “vital” that people recognize microaggressions, even if they occur unintentionally.
Cwynar said that it’s “vital” for people to recognize microaggressions because “these subtle, often overlooked behaviors can reinforce systemic inequalities and perpetuate feelings of exclusion or disrespect.”
Sarma said that microaggressions “presuppose an unconscious tendency that agents have little or no control over.”
“In the same way that one person could accuse another of harboring unconscious sexual desires in a Freudian psychoanalytic context, or capitalist urges in a Marxist economic context, one could accuse another of harboring unconscious colonial sentiments,” they continued.
And there are healthy ways to respond when someone accuses you of showing a microaggressive behavior.
Sarma emphasized that being accused of such behavior is an opportunity to learn and to become aware. They advised to respond by leading with “sincerity and humility,” which “invites civil discourse and does not contribute to polarization, rancor and divisiveness.”
“Who doesn’t want the world to be more polite and courteous?” Sarma added.
Cwynar recommends that you seek to understand the impact of your words and actions if someone thinks you’re showing microaggression — and to try not to react defensively.
“Acknowledging any harm caused and committing to personal growth are essential steps in creating a more inclusive and understanding workplace,” she added.
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