Broadway legend Patti LuPone issued a rare apology on Sunday, after making “demeaning and disrespectful” comments about fellow Broadway stars Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis. On Monday morning, the hosts of “The View” were a bit split on the situation though.
LuPone’s initial comments came in a profile from The New Yorker, wherein she pointedly said that McDonald is not a friend, and disparaging the idea that Lewis is a “veteran” of Broadway. But, in her apology, LuPone took her words back, saying “For as long as I have worked in the theatre, I have spoken my mind and never apologized. That is changing today.”
In discussing it on “The View,” the ABC hosts were quick to show LuPone grace, beginning with host Sunny Hostin.
“She apologized! She apologized. And we all know Patti, she’s a friend to the show, I think she’s a terrific person,” she said. “And sometimes we, like you say Whoopi, we step in it.”
“Sometimes we step in it, we make mistakes. But I think what’s very important is that you hold yourself to account, and you recognize that you may have stepped in it, and you apologize,” Hostin continued.
But, host Sara Haines didn’t totally agree. While she noted that she “loved” LuPone’s apology, Haines also argued that the fact that the apology is a rarity is not a good thing.
“I love that she apologized but she’s stepped in it a lot, over and over again,” Haines said. “And I just was raised differently, clearly, because she seems to be proud that she’s always spoken her mind and never apologized. I don’t think that’s something to be proud of. Just ’cause you can say things doesn’t mean you should say things.”
Haines added that McDonald is the “greatest living broadway actress of our time” and “a national treasure,” and applauded how she handled the situation, when McDonald was asked about it during a CBS interview. Host Alyssa Farah Griffin agreed that McDonald’s response was “pure class,” before weighing in on LuPone.
“It’s one of these where I think we can accept that Patti LuPone is one of the greats, and she could maybe be a little mean and toxic to people around her,” Farah Griffin said. “And that’s in no way going to make me love her less, want to see her performances less.”
The host echoed Haines’ praise of McDonald and her talents, and added that, with her status, LuPone should strive to lift up other artists when she can, rather than lob insults.
“She’s so talented that she’s so much better than that,” Farah Griffin said.