Oprah Winfrey seemingly shades Patti LuPone over Audra McDonald controversy at the 2025 Tony Awards

Oprah’s got jokes.Oprah Winfrey took the stage at the 2025 Tony Awards on Sunday and appeared to shade Patti LuPone for her drama with Audra McDonald.As she presented the award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, the category in which McDonald, 54, was nominated, Winfrey, 71, told the audience, “Our celebration of this astounding year in live theater turns to the women whose work sparked lively conversations among theater fans.”Winfrey then paused, shot a knowing look at the crowd as they laughed, and added, “Lotta talking going on!”McDonald was in the audience for Winfrey’s comment.She lost the Leading Actress in a Musical award to “Sunset Boulevard” star Nicole Scherzinger.LuPone, meanwhile, did not attend the Tonys.

She was not nominated this year, but her “The Roomate” co-star Mia Farrow was nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play.Spencer Althouse, BuzzFeed’s editorial director, shared a clip of Winfrey’s speech on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Omg not Oprah Winfrey throwing shade at Patti LuPone while presenting at the Tony Awards lol.”Other fans pointed out that Winfrey’s line, “Lotta talking going on,” is from Beyoncé’s song “American Requiem.”“and quoting ameriican requiem exactlyyyy,” one fan tweeted.“and the ending?! ohhhh AMERIICAN REQUIIEM your power,” another fan said.A third person wrote, “is that American Requiem i’m hearing?!!”Last month, LuPone, 76, sparked controversy for bashing fellow Broadway stars McDonald and Kecia Lewis in an interview with The New Yorker.The “Agatha All Along” actress said that McDonald was “not a friend” and called Lewis, 59, a “b-tch” who “doesn’t know what the f–k she’s talking about.”“Oh, my God,” LuPone said of the “Hell’s Kitchen” actress.

“Here’s the problem.She calls herself a veteran? Let’s find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done, because she doesn’t know wh...