In a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, actress Jennifer Coolidge opened up about her notable absence in the newest season of HBO’s The White Lotus. During her interview, Coolidge expressed her feelings about not reprising her beloved character, Tanya McQuoid, who exited the show at the end Season Two.
Spoilers for The White Lotus Season 1 and Season 2 follow below.
“I’ve really missed myself,” Coolidge confessed to host Jimmy Kimmel. “I thought I’d be cool with it, but, yeah, I’m jealous. But Mike White is a genius, and it’s going really well.” Coolidge has a close friendship with the show’s creator, Mike White, who decided to write Tanya out of the series.
Kimmel teased, “Your character died, which means you can’t come back for the fifth season or the sixth season unless they dig you up and reanimate you somehow.”
Coolidge humorously reflected on the possibility, explaining, “I thought there was a little window for me to come back because people saw me floating in the water and I did look very dead.” She then added, “But then the girls were talking in this latest episode about [how] all they saw was my floating leg. And then all of a sudden I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I guess I wouldn’t be able to swim away with only one leg.’”
Despite her character’s demise, Coolidge has remained in the public eye through her new crime comedy film Riff Raff, which features an impressive cast including Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, Pete Davidson, and Bill Murray. During her discussion, she recounted a particular scene with Harris that left her feeling uneasy.
“I won’t do it to Ed Harris ever again,” Coolidge laughed, explaining that while filming, there was an unexpected moment of tension. “I was acting, but I think he really thought I was going for it. And maybe I was, I don’t know. At one point he was like, ‘Get out of there!’” She highlighted the fast-paced nature of film production, noting, “Sometimes there’s no rehearsals for this stuff. You’re shooting this stuff really fast.”
Fans are still buzzing about The White Lotus and its continued success, leading to speculation about Coolidge’s potential return in Season Three. However, Coolidge has been clear in debunking theories that she would return as Tanya’s twin sister. “Look, it’s not like I haven’t wished or whatever, but it isn’t happening,” she told Forbes. “It doesn’t matter. They don’t need me.”
Still, she hasn’t completely dismissed the connection to her former character. In an animated moment, she conveyed her hopes for Tanya’s on-screen husband, Greg, played by Jon Gries, saying, “I hope he gets it! I hope they do something terrible to him.”
Published: Mar 7, 2025 6:05 PM UTC