A month after Reneé Rapp’s unexpected exit from Mindy Kaling‘s HBO Max series “The Sex Lives of College Girls” was confirmed, Rapp is speaking up about her decision.
The 23-year-old actress has gained quite the fan base over the last two and half years, playing Leighton Murray in the comedy show for the entire two seasons.
Sadly, Rapp will not return in the upcoming third season for uncertain reasons; still, she has “a lot of feelings” about her decision, as revealed in a recent interview.
Reneé Rapp Could Not Comment On Anything About ‘The Sex Lives Of College Girls
In an exclusive discussion with PEOPLE, the award-winning entertainer said little about her withdrawal from “TSLOCG.” However, she had more to say but could not due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. “I have feelings about it and what that means for the show and me and my music,” she told the magazine, adding:
“But I can’t comment on anything just due to the SAG and the WGA strike. It prohibits me from talking about it, but I have a lot of feelings about it.”
It was confirmed in July that Rapp would leave the HBO Max show as a regular but would appear in some episodes periodically. The “Mean Girls” star also released a statement on X — formerly called Twitter — preaching the gospel about her role as Leighton.
“College girls moved me out to LA and introduced me to some of my favorite people,” she wrote. “2 and a half years later – it’s given me y’all and this community.” Rapp then expressed appreciation to the series’ creators, “Thank u, Mindy [Kaling], Justin [Noble], and everyone at Max for believing in me.”
Before concluding, she touched on how much impact playing Leighton had on her, which was all positive.
“A lot of queer work gets belittled – but playing Leighton has changed my life. I love who I am 10x more than I did before knowing her. I hope she gave you all a little bit of that too.”
The Jimmy Award winner believed in the “tiny part of representation” she gave to viewers as a queer character even though the TV industry still had work to do.
Rounding up the statement, she confessed that she would not be “half the person” she was without Leighton and her fans. She also penned, “I’m so excited for this season, and I can’t wait for you to see what we have coming for her and the girls.”
In the first two seasons of “TSLOCG,” Rapp acted as a wealthy student exploring and identifying with her sexuality as a queer person in Essex College. She was cast alongside Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, and Alyah Chanelle Scott, who were her suitemates and eventually friends in their first year of college.
Creators of the comedy production, including Kaling, seem to only want the best for The “Spring Awakening” star despite her exit. The “Never Have I Ever” producer took to her Instagram Story to cheer Rapp on by reposting a headline about her leave from a news outlet alongside an encouraging note.
It read, “We love @reneerapp so much and will be so sad to say goodbye, Leighton Murray! But we can’t wait to see our friend on tour!!.”
Although the duo appeared to be on good terms, Rapp reportedly hired a top Hollywood lawyer to get her off “TSLOCG” supposedly because she breached an agreement by announcing her music tour without permission from the creators.
The HBO Max Production Has Been Renewed For A Third Season
“TSLOCG” was renewed for a third season last December. However, a release date is yet to be announced. Per reports, it would most likely be in November 2023, given that the first two seasons debuted in November 2021 and last November, respectively.
No official plot or cast details have been revealed yet, but fans should expect main stars Chalamet, Kaur, and Scott in the upcoming season.
As avid viewers would recall, the second season ended with the four primary characters’ friendship in trouble and Kaur’s character Bela wanting to transfer schools.
Shedding more light on Bela’s decision, one of the show’s creators, Noble, revealed that she has “a lot to figure out” in season 3 with her need to “start fresh somewhere else.”
