Mike White Jokingly Offered Conan O'Brien a Part inWhite LotusSeason 3 Doing 'Sex Work' – and Conan Agreed

Mar. 15, 2025

Conan O’Brien (left); Mike White.Photo:Stephanie Augello/Shutterstock; Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Stephanie Augello/Shutterstock; Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Mike Whitegets his fair share ofcelebrity pitches when it comes toWhite Lotuscasting, butConan O’Brienis one of the few to whom the creator has given a chance.On the Aug. 19 episode of his podcast,Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, the former late-night host, 61, recalled his time in Bangkok, Thailand while filming his HBO series,Conan O’Brien Must Go, as he told his guestWalton Gogginsabout an insane conversation he had with the creator ofThe White Lotusaboutthe upcoming third season.“I was in Bangkok, I don’t remember how long ago now, shooting for our travel show,” O’Brien said as he began the story. “Then not long ago, I ran into — before you guys started shootingWhite Lotus —I run into none other than Mike White in a restaurant. And we start chatting, because we’ve met each other once or twice before, and he’s a very funny, cool guy.“O’Brien continued, “And I said, ‘Hey. So you’re going —the next season ofWhite Lotus—you’re going down to, you know, to Thailand, right?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’  And I said, ‘I was there. I had a great time. I made a lot of friends.’ And then I said, ‘If there’s a part for me, you know, I’m available.'“White, 54, had the perfect response. “He looked at me and he said, ‘You know, there’s a lot of sex work there.’ And I said, ‘I could — I could do that. I could … I could play a part where I’m a sex [worker] — you know, a male gigolo or something.'“Goggins, 52, jumped in, joking, “This is the last podcast you will ever do, Conan,” before agreeing with White’s assessment. “Yes, you could do that. Yeah. I believe you could do that.“Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey and Patrick Schwarzenegger in ‘The White Lotus’ season 3.MAX/YoutubeO’Brien asked theFalloutstar, “Do you think that – when I’m saying, do you think I could play that part, or do you think I actually could be a gigolo?““I think you could do both. I think you could play that part, and you could be that person in real life,” Goggins replied, and O’Brien said, “I appreciate that.“Goggins is set to star in season 3 of the hit HBO series alongside several big-name stars includingMichelle Monaghan,Leslie Bibb,Patrick Schwarzenegger,Parker Poseyand season 1 favoriteNatasha Rothwell.In June, he told PEOPLE that the cast was “so deep” in filming in Thailand. “I can’t believe that we’re in the middle of it right now, and all of these relationships and all of these friendships are just being cemented with all of these experiences that we’re having.“Though he admitted he had to be “very, very careful” to not “reveal anything” about what’s to come,Goggins teased that the season 3 script “ran the gamut.““Mike [White] himself has said what he’s said about season one and what that represents and what season two represents,” he said. “Season three, without putting words in his mouth, will represent something very, very, very specific and, for my money, will resonate deeply to a very big audience, and certainly with the fans of what he does.“Rothwell, who played Belinda in season 1, has similarlyteased that season 3 will “give you a run for your money,“as she told PEOPLE last year. “It’s an excellent season and people are going to be very pleased.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The White Lotusseason 3 is set to premiere on HBO in 2025. Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Max.

Mike Whitegets his fair share ofcelebrity pitches when it comes toWhite Lotuscasting, butConan O’Brienis one of the few to whom the creator has given a chance.

On the Aug. 19 episode of his podcast,Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, the former late-night host, 61, recalled his time in Bangkok, Thailand while filming his HBO series,Conan O’Brien Must Go, as he told his guestWalton Gogginsabout an insane conversation he had with the creator ofThe White Lotusaboutthe upcoming third season.

“I was in Bangkok, I don’t remember how long ago now, shooting for our travel show,” O’Brien said as he began the story. “Then not long ago, I ran into — before you guys started shootingWhite Lotus —I run into none other than Mike White in a restaurant. And we start chatting, because we’ve met each other once or twice before, and he’s a very funny, cool guy.”

O’Brien continued, “And I said, ‘Hey. So you’re going —the next season ofWhite Lotus—you’re going down to, you know, to Thailand, right?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’  And I said, ‘I was there. I had a great time. I made a lot of friends.’ And then I said, ‘If there’s a part for me, you know, I’m available.'”

White, 54, had the perfect response. “He looked at me and he said, ‘You know, there’s a lot of sex work there.’ And I said, ‘I could — I could do that. I could … I could play a part where I’m a sex [worker] — you know, a male gigolo or something.'”

Goggins, 52, jumped in, joking, “This is the last podcast you will ever do, Conan,” before agreeing with White’s assessment. “Yes, you could do that. Yeah. I believe you could do that.”

Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey and Patrick Schwarzenegger in ‘The White Lotus’ season 3.MAX/Youtube

MAX/Youtube

O’Brien asked theFalloutstar, “Do you think that – when I’m saying, do you think I could play that part, or do you think I actually could be a gigolo?”

“I think you could do both. I think you could play that part, and you could be that person in real life,” Goggins replied, and O’Brien said, “I appreciate that.”

Goggins is set to star in season 3 of the hit HBO series alongside several big-name stars includingMichelle Monaghan,Leslie Bibb,Patrick Schwarzenegger,Parker Poseyand season 1 favoriteNatasha Rothwell.

In June, he told PEOPLE that the cast was “so deep” in filming in Thailand. “I can’t believe that we’re in the middle of it right now, and all of these relationships and all of these friendships are just being cemented with all of these experiences that we’re having.”

Though he admitted he had to be “very, very careful” to not “reveal anything” about what’s to come,Goggins teased that the season 3 script “ran the gamut.”

“Mike [White] himself has said what he’s said about season one and what that represents and what season two represents,” he said. “Season three, without putting words in his mouth, will represent something very, very, very specific and, for my money, will resonate deeply to a very big audience, and certainly with the fans of what he does.”

Rothwell, who played Belinda in season 1, has similarlyteased that season 3 will “give you a run for your money,“as she told PEOPLE last year. “It’s an excellent season and people are going to be very pleased.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The White Lotusseason 3 is set to premiere on HBO in 2025. Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Max.

source: people.com