Dear Gossips,   

MAX, the network formerly known as HBO MAX, released a 2025 preview yesterday that included the first footage we’ve seen from the upcoming third season of The White Lotus. The full trailer with all the clips from all their shows can be seen here. 

 

Here are the eight seconds of The White Lotus, which of course was shared probably more than any other series because of Lisa. 

 

Plot details of course have not been revealed but it’s been widely speculated that this time The White Lotus will be satirising the wellness and lifestyle industry and specifically, perhaps, how westerners appropriate eastern practices. Shortly after season two was released, Mike White told Vanity Fair that: 

“My instinct is that maybe it has something to do with spirituality. Eastern versus Western religion, or Western people in an Eastern culture. Maybe after sex it would be nice to have something that’s a little more celestial or something that’s a little more out of the carnal, I guess. But I don’t know. I have to beg off, to be honest, because I don’t really know.”

 

That was a while ago, and the story may have taken a different shape by the time he got around to really breaking it. But my hope is that he’ll be mocking Goop and that whole bone broth and magic kale industry, which, interesting enough, Doctor Odyssey kinda did, with its signature lite and frothy approach, on its “Wellness Week” episode a couple of weeks ago. In one scene, Margaret Cho offers some kind of elixir to her fans, with secret “natural” ingredients. And two minutes later someone collapses after drinking the smoothie. Doctor Odyssey was co-created by Ryan Murphy, who is good friends with Gwyneth Paltrow. Clearly the other writers on the show don’t give a f-ck. 

 

Back to The White Lotus though, we still don’t have a release date. Production wrapped in early August and is currently in post so January is probably too soon. But MAX will probably want the series to air before the Emmys deadline so that the series can contend next September. With that in mind, I’m thinking mid-to-late spring, like April or May. And at that point the story about medical and wellness disinformation might be more apt than ever, especially if Robert F Kennedy Jr takes over the FDA. 

Yours in gossip,

Lainey