HBO’s The White Lotus Cuts Trans Storyline Amid Trump’s Cultural Climate

Los Angeles, March 31, 2025 — The HBO series *The White Lotus* has faced scrutiny after Carrie Coon, who portrays lawyer Laurie, revealed that a storyline about her character’s non-binary child was cut due to the political climate surrounding President Donald Trump’s administration.

The decision comes as the show has been lauded for its bold storytelling, tackling themes of privilege and power dynamics among friends vacationing in idyllic settings. Coon disclosed that her character’s daughter was meant to appear as non-binary, a plot detail that was ultimately omitted after Trump’s election.

In an interview with *Harper’s Bazaar*, Coon explained the original intention behind the character’s family dynamics. “You originally found out that her daughter was actually non-binary, maybe trans, and going by they/them,” she said. The scene was cut after creator Mike White determined that it was not the appropriate time to engage with a topic seen as increasingly contentious in the current political landscape.

Coon highlighted the intersection of her character’s struggles—such as navigating complex pronouns and societal expectations—with the plot. “You see Laurie struggling to explain it to her friends, struggling to use they/them pronouns, struggling with the language, which was all interesting,” she said.

“It was only a short scene, but for me, it did make the question of whether Kate voted for Trump so much more provocative and personally offensive to Laurie,” she added, drawing attention to a scene in the series where Laurie confronts her friend Kate, played by Leslie Bibb, about her political beliefs.

As Trump’s administration has intensified the cultural discourse surrounding transgender rights, Coon remarked that White was cautious about tackling heavy themes in a brief moment. “When the time came to cut the episode down, Mike felt that the scene was so small and the topic so big that it wasn’t the right way to engage in that conversation,” she explained.

The season of *The White Lotus* was penned before the 2024 election, and as Coon noted, the socio-political climate has shifted dramatically. “Considering the way the Trump administration has weaponized the cultural war against transgender people even more since then,” she expressed, highlighting the tumultuous environment for discussions around gender identity.

The show’s history reflects its satirical engagement with real-world issues, and this revelation adds a depth of understanding to the show’s current trajectory. With only one episode remaining this season, many viewers will be eager to see how *The White Lotus* continues to navigate contentious socio-political topics.

*The White Lotus* airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, with streaming available on Max simultaneously.