Laura Osnes Didn’t Get the Covid Shot. It Ended Her Broadway Career- Page 4

[Back Row]

Posted: 11/21/25 at 7:34pm

Broadway became a different place after COVID for a lot of reasons unrelated to the virus. The shows were different. The finances were different. I’m no Broadway historian, but I can’t think of any shows in the post COVID era that would have had a place for a “Laura Osnes type” in a starring role. Laura Osnes wasn’t even a Laura Osnes type anymore. She aged out of those roles. Aside from all the poor choices she made, the work just wasn’t there for her. If she was a one of a kind musical comedy star, Broadway and the public would have eventually made a place for her. But she’s not. She is welcomed in the world of Hallmark Movies and concerts in flyover country, and that’s not a bad career. This “professional victim” stance she is taking is not helping her cause. 

[Diana Greenhouse]

Posted: 11/21/25 at 8:09pm

Couldn’t you say the same about Kelli Ohara being that ingenue type?  She’s managed just fine with her career.  Laura Osnes would have been cast in shows I’m sure, but she also did a lot of concerts and cabaret shows.  She probably could have handled things better, but I disagree with the vitriol and cancellation that was thrown at her, needlessly.  It was a divisive hyper political time and people weren’t thinking rationally. 

Updated On: 11/21/25 at 08:09 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 12:00am

"More people die of the flu."

That is a bald-faced, Trump-quality, lie. 

Worldwide flu deaths per year: 290k-650k. Worldwide Covid death in just 2 years: 5 million.

US flu deaths 2020 and 2021: approximately 32,300

US Covid deaths 2020 and 2021: approximately 1,200,000

 

[Diana Greenhouse]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 12:04am

Covid deaths last year were lower than the flu.  The flu is deadlier than COVID 

[QueenTwinnied]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 12:33am

Thank you covid vaccine!

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 9:13am

"The shows were different. The finances were different. I’m no Broadway historian, but I can’t think of any shows in the post COVID era that would have had a place for a “Laura Osnes type” in a starring role. Laura Osnes wasn’t even a Laura Osnes type anymore. She aged out of those roles"

Laura Osnes was not a Disney princess in "Bandstand", if you believe that is her "type". She played widow whose husband died in WW II. In that role, she would later become singer in a band that played "swing" music.  She also IMO was a pretty good dancer in that role. Lovely voice, attractive and can dance is a person who should be able to find some work on Broadway, politics aside.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 10:47am

Taylor Frey via IG story:

”Bull****, bull****, bull****. In the words of her favorite politician, this is “fake news”. Laura and our entire community knows what ostracized her, and it has nothing to do with getting a vaccine or not.”

[Diana Greenhouse]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 10:57am

I would say it was the timing of it all.  That was truly a wretched time.  Why would she get cancelled and yet you’ve got the likes of Nicole Scherzinger, Corey Cott, and other right wingers leading broadway shows?

Updated On: 11/22/25 at 10:57 AM

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 11:29am

Diana Greenhouse said: "I would say it was the timing of it all. That was truly a wretched time. Why would she get cancelled and yet you’ve got the likes of Nicole Scherzinger, Corey Cott, and other right wingers leading broadway shows?"

Corey Cott is a right winger????

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 11:46am

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Taylor Frey via IG story:

”Bull****, bull****, bull****. In the words of her favorite politician, this is “fake news”. Laura and our entire community knows what ostracized her, and it has nothing to do with getting a vaccine or not.”"

He’s basically not in the industry anymore. He should just spill the beans.

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 11/22/25 at 11:59am

Interesting article. I think it is worth a read. Let me add article begs the question can the Broadway community forgive but not forget.

https://www.onstageblog.com/editorials/2025/9/29/when-do-we-welcome-back-laura-osnes

Updated On: 11/23/25 at 11:59 AM

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/8/25 at 1:19pm

The queen of Victimhood performed at the Kennedy Center honors last night 😂 

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 12/8/25 at 2:15pm

iluvtheatertrash said: "The queen of Victimhood performed at the Kennedy Center honors last night 😂"

 

Wow. I guess she really has given up on coming back to Broadway and is just openly MAGA now. "Sad!"

[binau]

Posted: 12/8/25 at 2:20pm

I don't think you can pretend that there was ever an option for her 'coming back to Broadway'. I suspect she is just taking what opportunities are available to her. 

[Kad]

Posted: 12/8/25 at 4:38pm

I think there could have been a viable path for her to return. It would've taken time and rebuilding trust, but she could've done it. Rudin is back, after all. And there are doubtless many others onstage and backstage who share her views. 

Instead, she went for the path of least resistance and publicly threw her lot in with MAGA. But that was kind of her career trajectory- she never had to work tours, or regionally, or even off-Broadway before landing her big break. 

Updated On: 12/8/25 at 04:38 PM

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 12/8/25 at 9:32pm

I’m not sure why this thread is allowed to stay up but my comment was deleted, but go off BWW.

[OhHiii]

Posted: 12/9/25 at 6:25am

Pretty lady. Pretty voice. Not remarkable in any real way. I could swing a cat outside New 42 and hit 5 women that could act and sing circles around her.

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 12/9/25 at 8:09am

"I don't think you can pretend that there was ever an option for her 'coming back to Broadway'. I suspect she is just taking what opportunities are available to her. "

Bingo!! 

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 12/9/25 at 8:14am

"Pretty lady. Pretty voice. Not remarkable in any real way. I could swing a cat outside New 42 and hit 5 women that could act and sing circles around her."

Sure, you could. Please introduce us to some of these women who could not only land a starring role in several Broadway shows but also get nominated twice for Tony award for best actress. 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 12/9/25 at 10:21am

Perhaps it’s worth noting that most Tony-nominated Broadway performers don’t make a living by repeatedly returning to Broadway — they earn their income through concerts, like other major artists. Laura may have distanced herself from Broadway, but let’s not fool ourselves into thinking there isn’t a market in red states for Broadway-caliber talent who don’t align with the “liberal left” (in their words). By stepping away from Broadway, she may well have carved out a viable niche for herself. We should be cautious about assuming that Broadway or New York is the ultimate destination for performers who have appeared on Broadway.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/9/25 at 10:42am

That’s very true, and it’s true of performers even without  Tony nominations. Concerts, private appearances, workshops, master classes, etc are all lucrative opportunities that open to people who have Broadway credits. 
 

Osnes’s “they ended my Broadway career!” posturing may be sincerely felt, but it’s also a marketing tool. 

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 12/9/25 at 12:45pm

Zeppie2022 said: "
Sure, you could. Please introduce us to some of these women who could not only land a starring role in several Broadway shows but also get nominated twice for Tony award for best actress."

Why isn't she in any good original musicals then?