Jennifer Coolidge to Officially Return for HBO’s ‘The White Lotus’ Season 2

UPDATED STORY (02/28/2022):

It’s official, Jennifer Coolidge will lead the second season of Mike White‘s hit HBO anthology series The White Lotus.

HBO confirmed the news with Variety, teasing that production on the Italian-set season has officially begun. Joining Coolidge for the season are new stars Aubrey Plaza, Michael Imperioli, F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hollander, Theo James, Meghann Fahy, Haley Lu Richardson, and Adam DiMarco. Despite various reports stating that Coolidge would reprise her role, this is the first confirmation HBO has given regarding her participation.

ORIGINAL STORY (10/15/2021):

After checking out of The White Lotus‘ Hawaii resort, Jennifer Coolidge looks set to return for the HBO dramedy’s second season. Although the network has yet to announce the casting news, multiple sources have confirmed the actress will be back, according to TV Line.

Coolidge earned multiple accolades and Emmy buzz for her performance in the series. In Season 1, her character Tanya McQuoid traveled to Hawaii to scatter her dead mother’s ashes, subsequently finding love during her stay. Season 2 is rumored to be set at one of The White Lotus’ other resorts, most likely a European location, with an all-new cast of vacationers finding trouble in paradise.

Show creator Mike White stated that working with Coolidge was “hugely satisfying,” as the two have been good friends for many years. “She’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. She’s also a really nice person. And we had some false starts with other [projects] we tried to work on together, so this is very gratifying. It’s probably one of the most satisfying aspects of the whole experience for me,” he told TV Line.

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White previously commented on the possibility of the show becoming an anthology, with each season following new guests at various Lotus resorts worldwide.

“I don’t think you can credibly have [all the Season 1 guests] on the same vacation again. But maybe it could be a Marvel universe type thing, where some of them would come back,” he said.

The series was renewed for a second season back in August, ahead of the Season 1 finale. “Mike has once again delivered a quintessential HBO show, and it’s the talk of the town,” stated Francesca Orsi, the Executive Vice President of HBO Programming. “We were thrilled to hear where he wanted to go next, after closing this epic chapter in Hawaii, and can’t wait to keep following him wherever he takes us.”

The White Lotus, Season 1 Now Streaming, HBO Max