Everything that could be said about Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins’ alleged on-set romance gone sour already exists somewhere on the internet. It had seemed like even they were tired of it and that we might never get any actual details from The White Lotus stars themselves. Somehow, though, fans got what they wanted. 44334t

Goggins’ wife recently dismissed all the rumors about her husband’s alleged affair, chalking it up to him simply being more famous these days. Wood, however, hasn’t been asked nearly as much about the alleged romance or the infamous unfollowing shenanigans. But in a new sit-down with Variety, the two finally addressed the speculation — together.

It’s worth noting that Goggins had previously walked out of interviews for merely bringing up his co-star’s name, so this conversation was, by all s, highly unprecedented. Excitement was palpable when it was announced the two would sit down — it felt like a surprise bonus episode of the show’s third season.

Goggins was effusive in his praise of Aimee Lou Wood, getting intense about their first meeting: “It felt like I had already known her for 100 years.” The two apparently formed their own little pod separate from the rest of the cast, referring to themselves as “foxes” because they’d pick at meals and retreat into their cocoon — far from the large cast dinners often hosted by Patrick Schwarzenegger, who had his own on-set struggles.

Wood likened The White Lotus’s production to reality shows like Love Is Blind or Love Island, describing how the cast had to quickly adjust to a new location and blend personal and professional lives. Despite their mutual iration, the pair itted to being disappointed with how the final show turned out.

They expressed reverence for creator Mike White’s writing but revealed frustration that a love scene from the final episode was cut. They joked about demanding a director’s cut, calling the scene crucial to them both.

The conversation naturally shifted to the controversial SNL sketch that mocked Wood’s teeth. According to Wood, targeting her looks was misogynistic. Goggins’ initial decision to post the sketch and later delete it had caused a stir, but with hindsight, he now sees Wood as brave for speaking out in the first place.

That led them to the question everyone wanted answered: did the sketch cause a feud? Goggins shut that down quickly. Goggins said:

“There is no feud. I adore, I love this woman madly, and she is so important to me. This is Goldie Hawn. This is Meg Ryan. She can do anything and she will. Watch what the next 20 years of her experience will be. I’ll be on an island Greece, I think. But she’s special. There is no feud. She is love. And I know I am that to her. We care about each other very deeply.”

So there you have it, folks. No on-set romance, no feud — just two ionate actors who care deeply about each other and their work. And we didn’t even have to wait for a post-career memoir for the full breakdown. Honestly, they better get an Emmy nod — if not for their acting, then at least for keeping the show in the zeitgeist this long.

Patrick Schwarzenegger, who recently found breakthrough success with The White Lotus season 3, revealed he once considered changing his famous surname to avoid comparisons with his father, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The actor shared these thoughts during Variety’s Actors on Actors 2025 edition, where he sat down with his father to discuss their careers and experiences in Hollywood.

According to Hindustan Times, the younger Schwarzenegger’s journey in the entertainment industry began with minor roles in the 2000s, including appearances in films such as Stuck in Love, Grown Ups 2, and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. His first leading role came in the 2018 film Midnight Sun, followed by a recurring role in Gen V before his career-defining role in The White Lotus.

During the conversation with his father, Patrick revealed that The White Lotus creator Mike White acknowledged that the Schwarzenegger name “comes with baggage.” He explained that having successful parents like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver created additional pressure and scrutiny, with some people suggesting he got roles because of his parents’ influence.

How Arnold Schwarzenegger influenced his son’s career journey 116r4k

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s own path to stardom began as a bodybuilder in Europe, leading to multiple Mr Olympia wins in the 1970s. He later transitioned to Hollywood, finding his breakthrough role in The Terminator in 1984, and eventually becoming one of the biggest movie stars of the 1980s and 1990s alongside Tom Cruise and Sylvester Stallone.

The weight of this legacy led Patrick to contemplate using an alias earlier in his career. He itted to struggling with concerns about living in his father’s shadow versus forging his own path in the industry. However, he ultimately decided to keep the Schwarzenegger name.

Arnold expressed happiness about his son’s decision to retain the family name, stating that he could now “take credit” for Patrick’s success. The elder Schwarzenegger also drew parallels to other successful actors with famous parents, specifically mentioning Jamie Lee Curtis, whom he considers one of the greatest actors in history.

The conversation highlighted how Patrick eventually overcame the challenges of his famous surname, with 2025 marking the year he established himself as a name unto himself through his performance in The White Lotus. His success demonstrates that while a famous last name might open doors, it’s ultimately talent and dedication that sustain a career in Hollywood.

Some way, somehow, The White Lotus became one of the defining shows of the decade. The anthology series somehow found a way to make fans not just invested in the characters but the actors who played them too — and it wasn’t long before Walton Goggins was linked to his onscreen love interest, Aimee Lou Wood.

The show’s run and its immediate aftermath led to one of the funniest cast dramas probably since Don’t Worry Darling. The cast were constantly following and unfollowing each other. Jason Isaacs was going on talk shows to talk about how shooting the series resembled a season of Survivor, calling the experience a “pressure cooker” where apparently alliances were formed and broken. But through all the chaos, there was one relationship that remains fans’ true north star.

During the show’s run, Walton Goggins spoke highly of Aimee Lou Wood. He told People, “We both became enmeshed in each other the way that Rick and Chelsea are, so I think the world of her.” However, soon after the show ended, the two suddenly unfollowed each other on Instagram — and to fuel even more rumors that there was a falling out behind the scenes, they even removed posts that gushed about what a pleasure it was working with each other.

But here’s the thing: Walton Goggins is married, and Isaacs also let the cat out of the bag saying there were romances on the set. Whose romance exactly? Fans assumed Goggins, of course. Goggins’ wife, Nadia Conners, has up until now been silent on the entire matter, but finally Hello Magazine caught up with her and she said: “It’s odd to see it, but it’s an indication of how much people were invested in the fictional characters. I take it as a sign that he’s become quite popular.”

Walton Goggins has been having quite a career indeed. He’s been one of those characters who never quite gets the lead role but silently builds one of the best catalogues in the business. But in 2025, he’s clearly going to hit the next level — with The White Lotus being followed up directly by Fallout and doing voice work in quite possibly the best season of Invincible.

But currently, Goggins is clearly over the Wood situation, and he’s no longer playing around with people who try to catch him with his foot in mouth. The Times UK unfortunately found themselves at the wrong end of his Southern charm and patience when they asked him about Aimee Lou Wood, only for him to sternly reply, “I’m not gonna have that conversation.” When they kept pressing, he ended the interview altogether.
So there you have it folks, it’s over. Hollywood is certainly full of onset romances and affairs, and some iconic couples even had their start in such situations. Goggins, however, is clearly past that particular moment in his life and will probably never revisit it. Unless we get a memoir at the twilight of his career like 20 years from now.

But for now, all Goggins wants to focus on is his family and career.

Actor Walton Goggins recently cut short an interview with The Times of London after refusing to talk about ongoing rumors of a disagreement with his The White Lotus co-star, Aimee Lou Wood. The interview was meant to promote Goggins’ new movie, The Uninvited, but it quickly went off track when the reporter asked about his relationship with Wood.

According to TMZ, the questioning started with a mention of the fact that the two actors no longer follow each other on Instagram, which is often seen as a sign of tension between public figures. Goggins’ first response was short and clear—he would not discuss his relationship with his former co-star.

His publicists, who were present during the interview, immediately backed up Goggins’ unwillingness to talk about the subject. One publicist stepped in, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. However, the reporter tried again later, bringing up the topic in a more careful way. This second attempt led to a stronger reaction from Goggins, who grew visibly frustrated. He eventually shut down the line of questioning, calling it pointless and unrelated to promoting his new film.

Walton Goggins ends an interview early 15512p

This tension is connected to Goggins’ public reaction to a recent Saturday Night Live sketch. The sketch made fun of Wood’s character and her British accent, including a mocking joke about her teeth. While Wood openly criticized the sketch, calling it “mean” and “unfunny,” Goggins posted on social media that he found it amusing.

This public approval of a comedy bit that targeted his co-star went against the friendly image the two had maintained while The White Lotus was airing. The rumors of a feud began during the filming of The White Lotus Season 3, where Goggins and Wood played a couple. Though they seemed to have good chemistry on screen, fans started speculating about their off-screen relationship after the season ended.

The fact that they haven’t been seen together publicly since the show wrapped, combined with the Instagram unfollowing, only made the rumors spread further.

A heated debate started after Saturday Night Live (SNL) aired a sketch making fun of Aimee Lou Wood’s role in HBO’s The White Lotus. The sketch mocked American politics by showing figures like Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as if they were characters in The White Lotus. However, part of the sketch specifically made fun of Wood’s looks, exaggerating certain features. This led the actress to speak out publicly against it.

Wood posted on social media to share her frustration, calling the sketch “cruel” and “not thoughtful.” She explained that while she’s usually okay with comedy and satire, she felt this particular skit relied on easy, hurtful jokes rather than smart humor.

Wood claimed that SNL had apologized to her, making the situation more complicated. However, those inside SNL quickly denied this to the Daily Mail and TMZ, saying no official apology had been made. Representatives for SNL said the sketch was normal for their style of comedy, which often pokes fun at celebrities’ appearances, and they didn’t believe an apology was needed.

The White Lotus actress likely lied about apology from SNL 143t5x

It makes a lot of sense since SNL has done a lot worse than that sketch and did not apologize after. Reports suggest that if any apologies were given, they were casual and came from people involved in the sketch, not from the show itself. The network also stated that the parody was meant as a joke and didn’t require Wood’s permission.

Wood initially pointed out that the sketch exaggerated her teeth and eyes in a way that didn’t even match her actual character, as most parodies do. She also claimed that other figures in the political parody were shown in a more positive light somehow. She really just thought the focus on her appearance felt unfairly negative. Wood claimed that even in satire, the portrayal should have some truth rather than just mocking someone’s looks.

The reaction from Wood’s White Lotus co-stars added more tension to the situation. One co-star publicly said they liked the SNL sketch, while others stayed quiet. The fact that most of her castmates didn’t publicly her has been noticed, especially since they had all worked closely together on the show. This lack of backing makes it seem like she must not have been as liked as outsiders would think.

Either way, it seems like she did overexaggerate the apology. It might have just come from cast mates, and not being a real formal one from SNL.

You’d think in the year of our lord, 2025, we’d be over making fun of people for their appearance, but apparently SNL didn’t get the memo. Now the sketch comedy show is under fire from fans due to a joke directed at The White Lotus star, Aimee Lou Wood.

On social media fans of the actress called out the skit titled “White Potus,” which saw caricatures of Donald Trump and his cabinet in place of the show’s original characters. While most of the comedy derived from poking fun at the president, the sketch was criticized for punching down, when comedian Sarah Sherman appeared as a caricature of Wood with exaggerated prominent teeth and a British accent.

Aimee Lou Wood appeared in the third season of The White Lotus as Chelsea and she quickly became a fan fave. The actress has also appeared in the popular Netflix shows Sex Education and Toxic Town.

Aimee Lou Wood gives her thoughts 1a2y2w

Taking to Instagram the star gave her thoughts on the jokes about her appearance. She started off defending HBO, telling fans nobody at the network called her ugly, and that it was her own “paranoid” thoughts. She clarified that she spiralled after hearing showrunner, Mike White fought for her to be cast but that “HBO have been nothing but super ive.”

The actress then continued, “But whilst in honest mode – I did find the SNL thing mean and unfunny xo.” That’s a pretty fair assessment if you ask me. Wood continued, writing, “Such a shame cuz I had such a great time watching it a couple years ago. Yes, take the p*** for sure – that’s how the show is – but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way?”

Fans agreed with Aimee 6c4n6v

Thankfully Wood wasn’t alone in thinking the jokes were out of order. Many fans agreed and took to social media to call out SNL for the mean-spirited joke. One person on X compared it to “kicking a kitten for no reason.”

Others responded directly to Wood’s Instagram story voicing their for the actress. One person pointed out that everyone else being mocked was a political figure whereas Chelsea was the only character who wasn’t political and was only mocked for her physical appearance. Wood thanked fans for agreeing with her and itted that she was glad she had said something after all.

The main issue with the joke was that it just wasn’t funny. Wood, in a later Instagram post, writes that she isn’t “thin-skinned” and that she’s ok with jokes being made about her, but in this case “Chelsea was the only one punched down on.” In another post the actress informs her fans that she’s “had apologies from SNL.”

Actor Patrick Schwarzenegger had a tough job before and during the airing of The White Lotus. He had to keep the show’s biggest surprises a secret from his fiancée, Abby Champion. The two have been together for eight years, got engaged in December 2023, and are planning a summer wedding. However, their relationship was put to the test when Schwarzenegger had to stay completely quiet about his role as Saxon Ratliff in the show.

Schwarzenegger’s struggle to keep things under wraps started even before filming began. Champion, curious about what her fiancé would be doing on set, kept asking him for details per Page Six. Her questions varied—sometimes she’d casually ask who dies in the season, and other times, she’d press him about whether his character had any love scenes.

Schwarzenegger stayed firm, refusing to give anything away. He joked that she was “nagging nonstop,” showing how playful but persistent she was in trying to get spoilers out of him. He explained that he couldn’t risk breaking his NDA (a strict contract preventing him from sharing secrets) or getting in trouble with the show’s producers.

Schwarzenegger did not spoil ‘White Lotus’ for his fiance f6e5q

The biggest challenge came from the show’s controversial storyline. Schwarzenegger’s character, Saxon, has an incestuous relationship with his onscreen brother, Lochlan, played by Sam Nivola. This wasn’t just a small side plot—it became a major focus in episodes 5 and 6. The scenes showed the brothers getting drunk, kissing, and then having a sexual encounter, which would obviously be shocking for anyone watching without warning.

The big moment came when those episodes finally aired on HBO. Champion, like everyone else watching, was completely stunned by what she saw. According to Schwarzenegger, her first reaction was disbelief—she blurted out, “You got with your brother?!”—which perfectly sums up how surprising and taboo the storyline was. But instead of causing a fight between them, the whole situation actually showed how strong their relationship is.

Schwarzenegger even joked that if he’d told her earlier, they might have avoided some arguments. When he talked about it on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, it was clear they could laugh about it, proving they could handle even the most unexpected twists.

Filming those scenes wasn’t easy for Schwarzenegger, either. His co-star Charlotte Le Bon, who played Chloe, said he was really uncomfortable during the intimate scenes. While Nivola seemed more relaxed about it, Schwarzenegger needed a lot of reassurance to get through filming. Le Bon even said he looked like he might throw up at one point, which shows just how hard the scene was for him. In fact, his reaction in the show was real—he wasn’t acting when he seemed disturbed by what was happening.

While Schwarzenegger managed to keep the secret from his fiancée until the episodes aired, not everyone on the cast was as careful. Nivola itted he broke his NDA by telling his parents and his girlfriend, Iris Apatow, about the storyline. Even though that meant breaking the rules, it shows that different people handle secrecy in different ways.

The last episode of The White Lotus season three left fans stunned. However, no one may have felt it as strongly as Aimee Lou Wood, the actress who played the Chelsea.

• Warning: Spoilers for The White Lotus season three ahead.

Aime Lou Wood’s character’s sudden death—caught in the middle of a violent clash after several eerie warnings—shocked viewers and caused a lot of online debate. But beyond the surprise, Wood’s thoughts on Chelsea’s death, shared in a recent Variety interview, add a deeper, more emotional layer to how we see the character’s story and her final scene.

Wood’s connection to Chelsea started long before filming. She found out her character would die during her callback audition, a detail she held onto for months, which gave her performance a unique emotional depth. At first, Wood saw Chelsea’s relationship with her unstable boyfriend, Rick, as more of a business arrangement. The early audition scenes made it seem like a “sugar daddy” situation.

Aime Lou Wood knew her character’s death was coming before the show started filming 3bg66

When she got the later scripts, her view changed completely. New scenes showed Chelsea’s real, undeniable love for Rick, reshaping Wood’s take on the character. Chelsea’s story became less about a woman trapped with a dangerous man and more about a tragic romance, ending in a sudden, heartbreaking way.

She said that her death was known far before, “I was actually told in my callback, so that’s how long I’ve been holding this in. Honestly, I can’t stop talking to everyone who’s asking me questions, because it’s like a dam’s burst.”

This shift in understanding is clear when Wood talks about Chelsea’s last moments. Originally, the script had Chelsea say one final line about the “bad luck comes in threes” warning, but Wood and showrunner Mike White decided to cut it. Wood was glad they did, believing silence made the moment stronger. Without words, the scene captured Chelsea’s grief, heartbreak, and the total collapse of her usually lively, talkative personality. That silence, Wood said, made the moment hit harder, emphasizing the finality of her death and how deeply she was tied to Rick.

Wood’s take on Chelsea and Rick’s relationship is especially thoughtful. She doesn’t just call it “toxic”—instead, she describes it as possibly “post-toxic,” showing a complexity that goes beyond typical bad relationships. While their bond was clearly destructive, Wood suggests they were drawn together by their shared self-destructive streaks, not just power struggles or cruelty. Both Chelsea and Rick were stubborn and reckless with their own lives, which ultimately led them to ruin each other.

She said, “I think it’s even post-toxic. It almost goes full circle to being very pure, because I don’t think there’s malice in it. I think for something to be a toxic relationship, there’s got to be some kind of control. There’s a power dynamic. There’s a this, there’s a that — and there is in Rick and Chelsea… He’s getting what he wants, which is revenge, and she’s getting what she wants, which is him, right?”

Wood also makes a strong case for Chelsea’s independence. Some viewers might see her as just a victim of Rick’s actions, but Wood believes Chelsea actively chose to stay with him, even as things got worse. The trip to Thailand wasn’t just Rick’s idea—Chelsea kept pushing to go with him, showing her own stubbornness, even if it put her in danger. In her final moments, she doesn’t try to escape the violence; she stays, accepting that her fate is tied to Rick’s.

The much-talked-about “bad luck comes in threes” foreshadowing also gets a fresh look from Wood. While some critics thought it was too obvious, she argues that the predictability actually added depth to Chelsea’s character. At first, it seemed like a cheap plot device, but when the warning came true, it gave Chelsea a kind of tragic dignity—she was right, even though people often saw her as silly or naive.

Natasha Rothwell, who plays the fan-favorite character Belinda in HBO’s The White Lotus, recently talked about what it was like filming the show’s third season. She especially mentioned not knowing what would happen to her character at first.

• Warning: Spoilers for The White Lotus ahead!

Rothwell told Variety that when she signed on for the season, she didn’t know Belinda’s full story, but she trusted the show’s creator, Mike White, and liked working with HBO. However, once she got the scripts, she understood how serious Belinda’s situation was—there was a real chance her character could die. Since the show is known for killing off characters unexpectedly (as seen in past seasons), Rothwell felt nervous as she read through the episodes.

Her worries made sense because Belinda knew about the resort’s history of murders and ended up in a dangerous spot with Greg, Tanya’s husband, and a possible killer. Belinda’s story took a big turn in the finale, ending with a major financial win. At first, she was scared for her life after Greg asked where she was, but then she managed to get a huge amount of money from him in exchange for staying quiet about his role in his wife’s death.

The White Lotus Belinda actress was worried her character would die 2aj6q

When asked if she thought Belinda would die, Rothwell said, “Of course. If there’s anything that HBO does — I mean Game of Thrones, White Lotus — they’re not afraid to to bring tragedy to their main characters. So I was very worried as I was turning each page. And the tension I felt from people who were watching it, and their worry for Belinda, I was validated. Because when I was reading, I felt the same way.”

She talked about how Zion’s made her think about her own changing relationships with her parents, especially the tricky parts of setting boundaries as adults. She also pointed out the difference between Belinda’s careful approach to Greg’s offer and Zion’s bold move to ask for more money, which led to Belinda’s big win. Still, the money came with its own challenges, raising questions about right and wrong and what people are willing to do for financial safety.

The finale also brought back the idea of work relationships going wrong, comparing—but also contrasting—Belinda’s experience with Pornchai to Tanya’s betrayal in season one. Rothwell made it clear that these situations weren’t the same. Unlike Tanya, who completely ignored Belinda’s dreams, Belinda’s dealings with Pornchai were more uncertain, and their business plans never happened.

Even though both situations were disappointing, Rothwell stressed that there was a difference. Belinda chose to put herself first this time, avoiding another situation like Tanya’s manipulation and focusing on her own survival. Outside of the story, Rothwell worked closely with Mike White to make sure Belinda felt like a real Black woman. Small but important details helped with this, like Belinda wearing a bonnet while celebrating her money win in private, or the emotional weight of seeing other Black people in a mostly white space.

Rothwell said these little moments made Belinda feel more relatable, showing experiences many Black women recognize. She also used her own life to bring real emotion to Belinda’s financial success, drawing from her past struggles with money to make the victory feel meaningful.

As for the future, Rothwell and White aren’t sure if Belinda will return for season four. Rothwell hasn’t talked to White about coming back, but she guessed that even with all her new money, Belinda’s life might not suddenly become easy.

If you weren’t already ruined by Chelsea’s fate in The White Lotus’ season three finale, then the ending for Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda would’ve tipped you well and truly over the edge.

In case you missed the gunshots heard ‘round the world, the final installment of the HBO anthology series aired this week, finally revealing which guest(s) ended up in the body bag. Even between all the bloodshed and tears, it was the conclusion of Belinda’s story arc that somehow felt even darker, as it’s revealed that the hotel employee ditches her plans to start a business with fellow masseuse and love interest Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul) to instead spend the millions she received as hush-money from Greg-Gary (John Gries).

Those who’ve stayed at The White Lotus before might think this story sounds a little familiar. That’s because, back in season one, it was Belinda who was in talks to start a business with Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya (RIP), before the latter character deserts her and leaves her broken-hearted and empty-handed. It’s a classic White Lotus tale of the emotional spoils caused by extreme wealth, and Belinda caught quite a bit of heat after the finale for following the footsteps of the nemesis that left her business plans unrealized. 

“The horrible, corrupting full circle of Belinda getting some wealth and immediately turning into Tanya,” one fan wrote on X, while others added that “Belinda [left] her man as soon as she got that money” in an example of “poetic irony.” While the parallels are clear enough to have you cursing at your TV screen as the student becometh the teacher, Rothwell herself has responded to fans’ anger at her character’s decision, saying it “didn’t have the same sting” as when Tanya behaved similarly back in season one. 

belinda leaving her man as soon as she got that money sent to her #TheWhiteLotus pic.twitter.com/dayxBc3Z97

— jolt (@meltborne) April 7, 2025

“If people rewatch this season, [Belinda] never agrees to go into business with Pornchai; she’s just considering it,” Rothwell said in a recent interview with Variety. “I think it is a subtle but massive difference from season one, where you have Tanya being like, ‘Yes, let’s do it. Give me the papers. Show me your business plan.’” Rothwell is correct that Belinda dangled the carrot far less temptingly than Tanya, and she said the character did so because “Pornchai was definitely more into Belinda and the idea than Belinda was.”

Rather than an example of betrayal, as some fans have surmised, Rothwell sees Belinda’s choice as the culmination of her character; a much-deserved reward after years of doting on wealthy guests in a suspiciously murderous hotel chain. “We’re seeing Belinda make a decision in her best interest,” Rothwell said. “For the first time, she’s not putting other people’s needs before her own.” In that context, Belinda’s choice feels more like a helping of just desserts, but one can’t help but sympathize with Pornchai as he waves his would-be lover and business partner goodbye in the finale’s closing moments. 

belinda doing to pornchai exactly what tanya did to her #TheWhiteLotus pic.twitter.com/LrH83LiQMG

— trish (@ultragloss) April 7, 2025

Rothwell’s comments add to the *adopts Parker Posey accent* tsunami-sized tidbits we’ve been given in the wake of the finale. Even though the dust has barely settled, we’ve already learned that there was an unaired sex scene involving Piper and Zion (!), that series creator Mike White thinks of the show’s critics as “bossy bottoms,” and that season three was supposed to star Woody Harrelson in the role of Frank. All of this intel makes it hard to find a moment to grieve Chelsea, who’s probably somewhere up there giving astrology readings to angels.

The White Lotus creator Mike White is not holding back after his star composer announced that he would not be returning for season 4.

“I honestly don’t know what happened,” White told Howard Stern in a recent interview. “Except now I’m reading his interviews because he decides to do some PR campaign about him leaving the show.” White is referring to Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, the three-time Emmy-winning composer of the show’s main title theme and other compositions including “Mysterious Monkeys” and “In the Sandbox.” Three days before the season 3 finale, de Veer announced that he would not be returning for season 4, citing creative differences with White as the primary reason.

“We already had our last fight forever, I think,” de Veer told The New York Times. “So [White] was just saying no to anything… I announced to the team a few months ago that I was not coming back, that I was leaving.” de Veer claims that his and White’s disagreements began during season 1, when White didn’t initially care for the eerie “ooh-loo-loo-loo” sounds that The White Lotus has since become famous for. When the signature sound was pulled from the season 3 title theme, “Enlightenment,” fans were outraged, prompting de Veer to release a fuller version of the song ⏤ complete with the “ooh-loo-loo-loos” ⏤ on YouTube. Though White claims that he and de Veer “never feuded,” it appears that the damage has been done ⏤ and he’s not being shy about his disgust.

“I don’t think I ever had a fight with him — except for maybe some emails,” White told Stern. “It was basically me giving him notes. I don’t think he liked to go through the process of getting notes from me, or wanting revisions, because he didn’t respect me. I knew he wasn’t a team player and that he wanted to do it his way. I was thrown that he would go to The New York Times to s⏤ on me and the show three days before the finale. It was kinda of a b⏤ move.”

White took things a step further when he compared the off-screen drama to a common trope explored on his show: monkeys. “By the time the third season came around, [de Veer had] won Emmys and he had his song go viral, he didn’t want to go through the process with me, he didn’t want to go to sessions. He would always look at me with this contemptuous smirk on his face like he thought I was a chimp or something … he’s definitely making a big deal out of a creative difference.” The “monkey” theme began during the show’s first season and reappeared in season 3, when the new cast of characters retreated to a White Lotus hotel in Thailand. Though some fans theorized that the monkeys were ultimately going to be the season’s killers, the explosive season 3 finale quickly proved otherwise.

In light of the very public drama between White and de Veer, the chances of them creatively reuniting for season 4 are as slim as Jennifer Coolidge returning as Tanya McQuoid. de Veer didn’t even want to watch the season 3 finale, telling The Cut that he might do so “in 20 years.” White, meanwhile, is busy celebrating the season 3 finale breaking ratings records on Max, with 6.2 million viewers tuning in to see who died and who was responsible. White revealed to Stern that, in light of the achievement, he and HBO are “renegotiating” his deal ahead of season 4.

As for where season 4 might take place, White has already suggested what he’d like to veer away from, which should make for a refreshing change of pace. After already tackling such meaty topics as familial relationships, sexuality, and spirituality in the first three seasons, it’s anyone’s guess where he’ll go next, or who he might bring back. Patrick Schwarzenegger, who played Saxon Ratliff in season 3, has allegedly heard rumblings of an “all star” fourth season in which any surviving characters could return. White has not yet confirmed this, but he did have one giddy reminder for viewers eagerly awaiting the new season’s arrival: “There’s always room for more murders at the White Lotus hotels.” Gulp.

There were multiple moments from The White Lotus’ season three finale that raised eyebrows, but a recent ission by series creator Mike White about the unaired fate of two characters might just take the cake. 

The eighth and final episode of the HBO show’s third installment aired the week, and while fans have been left with dozens of unanswered questions (what was the point of Mook? And what is with the slow pacing?), White has revealed that he almost raised more questions in the form of a pivotal scene between Piper Ratliff (played by Sarah Catherine Hook) and Zion Lindsey (played by Nicholas Duvernay) that never made it into the season finale episode. 

While the storylines of the two characters never intersect in season three, White said that wasn’t always the case, revealing he had actually written a scene in which Piper loses her virginity to Zion. So, excuse me for a moment while I howl like a Ko Samui monkey. “The part that was cut, too, is that [Piper] decides to lose her virginity in the last episode, and she actually has sex with Zion,” White said on an episode of the official White Lotus companion podcast.

“There’s a whole scene where [Piper] leaves the monastery she’s like, ‘I need to have sex’ and she’s scoping the restaurant,” White added. While that description alone is enough to provide ample material for my White Lotus fanfic, the series creator went on to explain why the scene was cut from the episode, citing timing and the jarring tone of a “rom-com vibe” within the otherwise-sombre finale. “The finale is an hour and a half already and it would have added ten minutes to the thing,” White said. 

Piper was originally going to lose her virginity to Belinda's son, Zion, in #TheWhiteLotus Season 3 finale.

“That part was cut, which is very disappointing," says Mike White. “There’s this whole scene where she’s like, ‘It’s true. Saxon is right about this one thing. I need to… pic.twitter.com/psuF6hYJET

— Variety (@Variety) April 7, 2025

“It had a little bit of rom-com vibe, in the middle of [Tim] trying to kill the family with the pong-pong fruits, so it just felt like I was trying to do too much narratively.” While it (regrettably) never made it to screen, the sex scene does provide context for Piper’s character arc, since she finishes her Thailand holiday in complete contrast to her brother, Saxon (played by Patrick Schwarzenegger). “It’s a reversal,” White said. “At the end when they’re on the boat, [Piper is] just thinking about how she got nicely f***** and Saxon’s reading his self-help book.” 

Speaking of Saxon, I’m glad White didn’t reveal any scrapped scenes involving the eldest brother and Piper, since season three has enough incestuous vibes as it is. Piper wasn’t the only Ratliff sibling who had a scene cut from the finale, with Sam Nivola — who plays the… shall we say, handsy, youngest brother Lochlan — also revealing that a scene involving him and a body bag was removed from the episode. Of course, we now know the fate of the twisted (yet utterly watchable) Ratliffs, and something tells me that even a spicy rendezvous with Zion wouldn’t have saved Piper from her doomed family. 

the way this is the funniest scene of white lotus though she gave him the thumbs up and he added piper to the list pic.twitter.com/EIOhVcMR6h

— keshawn (@shawnzlyfe) April 7, 2025

Elsewhere in the Lotus-verse, it was revealed earlier this week that Woody Harrelson was in talks to play Frank before the role went to Sam Rockwell, and we also learned the one location where season four definitely won’t be taking place. It’s issions like White’s that make me yearn for the DVD era, so I could watch the scene he mentioned in the extras. For research purposes only, obviously.