There was one major star missing in the crowd at Broadway’s biggest night of the year.
The 2025 Tony Awards was stacked with A-listers – everyone from George and Amal Clooney to Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes and Brooke Shields all walked the red carpet.
But there was one theatre veteran noticeably absent amid controversy: Patti LuPone.
READ MORE: Why Hugh Jackman is skipping Broadway’s biggest night after divorce soared to headlines
LuPone, 76, is a stage actress with three Tony Awards to her name.
But while the theatre community were all out in New York for the awards show on Monday (local time), hosted by Wicked‘s Cynthia Erivo, LuPone was nowhere to be seen.
READ MORE: World’s most famous couple spotted at intimate backyard wedding
People magazine said it was unclear if she had originally planned to attend, as she was not nominated for her recent production of The Roommate.
The actress, best known for Evita and Gypsy, last took home the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical Tony Award in 2022 for Company.
For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.
But her absence from the 2025 Tony Awards comes following recent backlash from hundreds of performers in the theatre community.
More than 700 artists recently signed an open letter reprimanding LuPone and calling for her to be disinvited from upcoming industry awards – including the Tony’s.
The most awkward moments in TV talk show history
The letter was in response to remarks the star made in an interview last month.
On May 26, The New Yorker released an interview with LuPone, during which she criticised fellow performers Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald.
READ MORE: Jessie J reveals she had five biopsies the night before a performanc
LuPone took issue with Lewis calling herself a “veteran” in a video from November, during which Lewis had called out the star for making a noise complaint about her musical Hell’s Kitchen.
The open letter said LuPone’s comments were a “a blatant act of racialised disrespect.”
LuPone later issued an apology on Instagram, offering her “sincere apologies” to Lewis and McDonald.
“For as long as I have worked in the theatre, I have spoken my mind and never apologised. That is changing today,” the statement read.
“I am deeply sorry for the words I used during The New Yorker interview, particularly about Kecia Lewis, which were demeaning and disrespectful.”
“I regret my flippant and emotional responses during this interview, which were inappropriate, and I am devastated that my behavior has offended others and has run counter to what we hold dear in this community,” she continued.
“I hope to have the chance to speak to Audra and Kecia personally to offer my sincere apologies. I wholeheartedly agree with everything that was written in the open letter shared yesterday.
“From middle school drama clubs to professional stages, theatre has always been about lifting each other up and welcoming those who feel they don’t belong anywhere else.”
She concluded. “I made a mistake, I take full responsibility for it, and I am committed to making this right. Our entire theatre community deserves better.”
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
