Patti Lupone Said Audra McDonald Is "Not a Friend" in a Recent Profile

Audra McDonald and Patti Lupone are both Broadway legends, but as Patti would likely tell you, that doesn't mean they have to get along. In a recent New Yorker profile, Patti dished a bit on Audra saying that she was "not a friend," which naturally led many to wonder what had gone down between the two.

While we might not know every detail about their relationship, Patti did share some morsels of information. Here's what we know about their relationship.

Patti didn't elaborate on why she doesn't like Audra but said that their feud dates back for some time. When she was asked about Audra's current run as Rose in Gypsy, a role that Patti won a Tony for back in 2008, Patti apparently stared in silence for 15 seconds before looking out the window and saying "What a beautiful day." Audra received her 11th Tony nomination for Gypsy and already holds the all-time record for both nominations and wins.

Audra and Patti have worked together in the past, although it's been well over a decade. In 2007, they starred in an LA Opera production of Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, and in 2000 they were both in the New York Philharmonic's concert version of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, in which Patti was Mrs. Lovett and Audra as the Beggar woman.

Audra has yet to remark on their feud, but the whole thing came up because of Patti's criticisms for another Broadway performer. When Patti suggested that the Alicia Keys musical Hell's Kitchen was "too loud," Kecia Lewis, who starred in the musical, suggested that Patti's comments were "bullying," "offensive," "racially microaggressive," "rude," and "rooted in privilege."

Patti was starring in a play at the time that shared a wall with the musical.

"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," Patti said in response to those criticisms. "She’s done seven. I’ve done 31. Don’t call yourself a vet, b---h!"

Audra responded to Kecia's criticism with supportive emojis, and that in and of itself seemed to set Patti off.

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

The fact that Audra is currently starring on Broadway in a role that Patti once played and receiving rave reviews for it might be more than enough to ruffle Patti's feathers. Whatever the real reason for their feud is, though, it seems to date back at least a decade.

Patti might have been willing to take some shots at Audra, but she didn't want to address the root reasons for their antipathy toward one another. We also don't know how Audra feels about their relationship, or whether she agrees with Patti's assessment. At least on Patti's side, however, there seems to be no love lost between the two Broadway legends.