Jason Isaacs Responds to Duke-‘White Lotus’ Drama: “Fanciful and Ridiculous”

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Jason Isaacs has checked out from “The White Lotus,” yet the tension between Duke University and the HBO series continues to simmer.

In the sixth episode of “The White Lotus,” Timothy Ratliff’s character, Isaacs, is depicted considering suicide while wearing a T-shirt bearing Duke’s emblem. The university expressed displeasure over this portrayal and issued a statement through its vice president for communications, Frank Tremble, to the New York Times. The statement criticized the show for using their brand without permission and finding the associated imagery disturbing, inconsistent with their values, and crossing a line.

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In episode 6 of “The White Lotus,” character Timothy Ratliff, played by Isaacs, is shown pondering suicide while donning a T-shirt emblazoned with Duke’s logo. The university took offense to this representation and released a statement through its vice president for communications, Frank Tremble, to the New York Times. The statement expressed that not only was their brand used without authorization, but also that they found the content problematic, incongruent with their values, and overstepping boundaries.

In spite of the uproar, a few weeks afterwards, at the final episode screening for the series, Isaacs donned another Duke T-shirt. This time, it featured their Blue Devil mascot. During his latest interview on the Prestige Junkie podcast, Isaacs confessed that he purchased the shirt when his flight was delayed and had no other attire left. “I found the entire incident slightly amusing,” he remarked about the dispute.

Isaacs stated that while he doesn’t enjoy causing upset, it seems clear that someone was excited to see their name mentioned online and perhaps wanted to gain popularity. He added that the group of alumni in question are often problematic, making it unlikely that a spiritually aware character on TV could have caused them any genuine trouble.

Some students expressed displeasure about their school’s logo being used, but Alex Berkman, a sophomore at Duke, said to THR, “For me, it’s not a big deal. It’s just TV – top-notch TV.

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2025-04-11 04:24