Why Is Reneé Rapp LeavingThe Sex Lives of College GirlsAfterSeason 3? What She's Said About Her Exit

Mar. 15, 2025

Reneé Rapp as Leighton Murray in season 2 episode 8 of ‘The Sex Life of College Girls’ ; Reneé Rapp attends InStyle’s 30th Birthday Celebration at BOOM at The Standard Hotel in New York City on Sept. 12, 2024.Photo:Katrina Marcinowski/HBO Max ; Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Katrina Marcinowski/HBO Max ; Dia Dipasupil/Getty

The beloved Max comedy series returned for season 3 on Nov. 21. While the main cast all reprised their roles, Rapp’s Leighton Murray, the ultra-wealthy, sarcastic sorority girl whose journey of self-discovery was central to the first two seasons, is bidding her farewell.

Rapp, whoannounced her departure in July 2023, later revealed she was stepping away to focus on her music career — a goal she had always envisioned.

“[I thought], ‘I can do music on the side, like, I can just hustle.’ And now I’ve just kept acting, because it keeps supporting the music," the “Too Well” singer toldVarietyin November 2022. “Acting was my way into tricking everyone that I warranted attention.”

Rapp’s breakout role as Leighton helped launch her music career, leading to a deal with Interscope Records, her debut albumSnow Angeland a 2023 Video Music Awards nomination for best new artist.

So why is Reneé Rapp leavingThe Sex Lives of College Girlsafter season 3? Here’s everything to know about why Rapp isn’t a series regular this season and what she has said about her exit from the show.

Why isn’t Reneé Rapp returning as a series regular for season 3 ofThe Sex Lives of College Girls?

Reneé Rapp as Leighton Murray and Rob Huebel as Henry in season 1 episode 1 of ‘The Sex Life of College Girls’.Courtesy of HBO Max

Courtesy of HBO Max

In July 2023, Rapp announced her departure in a post onX(formerly Twitter), expressing gratitude for her time on the show and the “community” it had given her.

“a lot of queer work gets belittled — but playing Leighton has changed my life,” she wrote. “i love who i am 10x more than I did before knowing her. i hope she gave ya’ll a little bit of that too.”

“I was so desperate to create my own sound. It took really insane situations,” Rapp said.

A few months earlier, she had opened up about why the first year filming the show was “terrible” during an appearance on a March 2023 episode ofCall Her Daddy.

“It sucked so bad, because at the time, I was in a heteronormative relationship. I hated going to work, because I was like, ‘I don’t think I’m like good enough to be here. I don’t think I can be here. I don’t think I can be doing this.’ I was like, ‘Maybe I’m just trying too hard,’ " she said, adding that she was constantly “in panic.”

What has Reneé Rapp said about leavingThe Sex Lives of College Girls?

Reneé Rapp attends the 35th GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on March 14, 2024.Joe Scarnici/Getty

Joe Scarnici/Getty

“I definitely have feelings about itand what that means for the show and me and my music,” the actress said.

Shortly after the strike ended, Rapp opened up toThe Hollywood Reporterin February 2024 about her bittersweet departure and the complexities behind it, calling it “hard for so many reasons.”

“Recently, on TikTok, [I watched] this scene in season one, where I come out to another character as a lesbian, and I’m crying, sobbing. And I hadn’t seen that scene in years,” she said. “It is so interesting that at the time I wasn’t even aware that what I was experiencing in my own personal life was actually exactly what I was doing on-screen.”

Rapp reflected on how her life mirrored her character’s journey, adding, “I was in a relationship with a man, incredibly confused, unsure of myself and feeling so insecure in my acting.”

Revisiting the scene brought a mix of emotions. “I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s hard to leave that.’ And I’m also so grateful that I was able to have that moment,” Rapp said.

Will Leighton Murray’s story continue in season 3 ofThe Sex Lives of College Girls?

Pauline Chalamet as Kimberly, Reneé Rapp as Leighton Murray and Alyah Chanelle Scott as Whitney in season 2 episode 8 of ‘The Sex Life of College Girls’.Katrina Marcinowski/HBO Max

Katrina Marcinowski/HBO Max

Although Rapp had announced her departure in 2023, she does appear in a few episodes of season 3 as a recurring character.

Alyah Chanelle Scott, who stars as Leighton’s roommate Whitney Chase, toldVulturein November 2024 that filming Rapp’s final scenes was difficult.

While Rapp won’t be getting a direct replacement, the show is welcoming fresh faces Gracie Lawrence and Mia Rodgers as Essex newcomers Kacey and Taylor.

Showrunner Justin Noble told PEOPLE ahead of the season’s release that he and cocreatorMindy Kaling"knew” what Leighton’s future in the show would look like soon after Rapp announced her exit.

“I’m really glad about theway it came across on the show,” he said of how Leighton’s story ends.

What has the cast and crew said about Reneé Rapp’s departure?

Reneé Rapp as Leighton, Alyah Chanelle Scott as Whitney, Pauline Chalamet as Kimberly and Amrit Kaur as Bela in ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls.'.HBO Max

HBO Max

Scott described the adjustment to the new cast dynamic without her on-screen and off-screen best friend as “so bittersweet and so heavy and sad and so beautiful.”

However, she embraced an “arms-wide-open approach” heading into season 3, which helped the new group bond and “solidify in a new, fun way."

What has Reneé Rapp done since announcing her future exit from the show?

Reneé Rapp performs during Austin City Limits weekend two at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, on October 12, 2024.Dana Jacobs/FilmMagic

Dana Jacobs/FilmMagic

After wrapping season 2 ofThe Sex Lives of College Girls, Rapp swapped Essex for North Shore High,reprising her role as Regina Georgein the 2024Mean Girlsmusical film — a character she first played on Broadway before landing her part onThe Sex Lives of College Girls.

“I’ve been saying that [music] is my thingmy whole life, without having really done it,” the singer told PEOPLE in 2022. “I was like, ‘This is it.’ I’ve been professing that I wanna do this, I wanna play shows, I wanna make it, but it wasn’t until about a week ago that I knew I could actually do that.”

source: people.com