Source: Entertainment Weekly
Julia Louis-Dreyfus has, quite frankly, had enough of rude theatergoers.
The Emmy-winning Veep, Seinfeld, and recent Broadway star issued a frank warning to Broadway audiences as she attended Sunday’s Tony Awards on behalf of her stage work in Other Desert Cities.
When asked by New York magazine (below) if she had a message for the live-theater crowd, the 65-year-old wasted no time going in on obstructive behavior she sees increasing.
“Well, I’d like people to listen,” Louis-Dreyfus said. “And to get the f— off their phones.”
She paused, asking the journalist, “Am I allowed to say that?” She then doubled down on the sentiment before the clip cut off.
Louis-Dreyfus’ words echo those from a rising number of stars who’ve spoken out against poor theater etiquette over the years.
In 2022, theater legend Patti LuPone lashed out at an audience member who didn’t wear a protective mask during a performance.
“Put your mask over your nose!” LuPone said in footage shared to X at the time, with the stage icon adding, “That’s why you’re in the theater. That’s the rule. If you don’t want to follow the rules, get the f— out!”
In December 2025, Bess Wohl’s Broadway play Liberation — which eventually won the 2026 Tony for Best Play — even implemented a ban on audiences’ cell phones, requiring attendees to place them in a pouch that was only accessible to staff.
“The real power of conversation — it’s a theme of the play,” actress Susannah Flood told the Independent at the time. “And because we have this scene where we all get naked, people have to surrender their cellphones. Honestly, I think that’s a huge reason the show has garnered the organic response it has.”
Comedian and actor Matt Rogers also weighed in on an onslaught of rude in-theater behavior, telling The Cut at the Tony Awards.
“You need to turn the phone off,” the Las Culturistas cohost said. “They’re off. I’m not even talking to the snacks people. I’m manifesting they’re not there at all. And I’m a snacker, so I know, but you’ve got to give it a rest during the performance.”
Watch Louis-Dreyfus sound off on rude theater audiences at the Tony Awards in the video above.
