CNN —

Patti Lupone has issued an apology after making what she now describes as “demeaning and disrespectful” comments about two fellow Broadway stars in an interview with the New Yorker last week.

The “Evita” star’s apology comes after hundreds of performers from the Broadway and theater communities issued an open letter first published by Playbill and called for accountability in light of Lupone’s “deeply inappropriate and unacceptable public comments” about Broadway stars Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald.

In the interview , Lupone referred to Lewis as a “b*tch” and said McDonald was “not a friend,” prompting a wave of backlash against the notoriously thorny legend. Lupone had previously had public spats with both performers.

“I am deeply sorry for the words I used during Th

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