Though there was a lot of drama happening onscreen for The White Lotus Season 3, it does seem like the show actually had a lot of drama behind the scenes as well.
Besides speculation that the actors have been feuding with each other, series creator Mike White was blasted by show composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer who is leaving the series after this season. With some wondering exactly what White had done to piss de Veer off, White himself said that it was actually de Veer who was harder to work with.
Talking to Howard Stern, White shared how he thought it was a bitch move that de Veer would publicly ‘shit on’ him over creative differences. White says:
“He didn’t want to go through the process with me and 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 of opinion… He is very talented. [But] I’ve never kissed somebody’s ass so hard just to lead that horse to water. Have fun with whatever you’re doing next.”
Mike White responds to comments made by Cristóbal Tapia de Veer after the #TheWhiteLotus composer left the hit @HBO series: "We never even really fought." pic.twitter.com/4onrpNhaTl
— Stern Show (@sternshow) April 8, 2025
Though the series did owe a lot of its unique vibe to the music, it’s probably not worth it to keep working with someone who wasn’t willing to play along. We don’t know who else could take over for de Veer now that he’s left the series, but the ‘vibe-y’ music of the series has been mimicked throughout a lot of media before like in Euphoria or any modern A24 film.
Catch the complete 3rd season of The White Lotus now streaming on Max.
