White Lotus fans will be aware of one scene that left people horrified, but a star of the show has come out in defense of it.
Written by Mike White – the brain behind School of Rock and Enlightened – the comedy-drama series focuses on guests staying at a luxurious resort called The White Lotus.
Season one was set in Hawaii over the course of one week, and starred a variety of famous faces – including Connie Britton, Sydney Sweeney, and fan favorite Jennifer Coolidge.
Season two – also set in the fictional resort – takes place in Sicily, starring Coolidge plus an all-new cast that includes Theo James, Meghann Fahy, Aubrey Plaza, and Tom Hollander.
Well, Season three has now left people feeling pretty uncomfortable.
From the very first episode of season three, fans were raising eyebrows over the strange tension between the two brothers, Lochlan (played by Sam Nivola) and Saxon (played by Patrick Schwarzenegger).
Lochlan was caught eyeing his older brother’s naked body, and the internet immediately began spiraling into wild theories.
Turns out, they were on to something.
In last week’s episode, things took a turn when Lochlan and Saxon shared a kiss — pushed on by characters Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood).
The moment reportedly almost made actor Patrick “throw up.” But it was this week’s episode that truly shattered the boundaries of TV taboo.
As Lochlan hooked up with Chloe, the camera revealed that he was simultaneously pleasuring Saxon.
What followed was flashbacks, gut-wrenching silence, and some serious regret from both brothers.
Unsurprisingly, fans were shocked.
One viewer posted on X: “OMG I have been saying this family was psychosexually obsessed with each other for weeks! It’s so weird the brothers did that OMG disgusting.”
A second said: “Everyone involved with this show is just going straight to hell because what the f***.”
But 21-year-old Sam Nivola isn’t backing down from the scene or the role — in fact, he’s defending both.
“At the end of the day, Lochlan is not a creep, necessarily,” Sam told Variety. “Of course, I have to say that. You have to love your character. So, f*** it, I’ll defend him!
“I think he’s incredibly misguided, and his circumstances have put him in a bad spot, but I don’t think he’s evil or malicious in any way. It’s important to the story that he’s not some psychopath.”
While many fans have speculated that Lochlan may be grappling with his sexuality, Nivola says there’s something else going on entirely.
“The thing on the boat is Lochlan’s tragically misguided attempt at being like, ‘So you’re the sex guy. Let’s do something in that realm and try to connect in some way,'” he said. “It’s obviously a big swing and a miss.”
