Whoopi Goldberg Renames HBO’s ‘The White Lotus’ to ‘The Caucasian Lotus’!

by

While Mike White’s popular HBO series goes by the name “The White Lotus“, Whoopi Goldberg refers to it by another name.

During a segment on a recent episode of The View, the EGOT winner remarked, “The TV show The White Lotus – or as I like to call it, The Caucasian Lotus – centers around wealthy individuals traveling to exotic destinations. However, a dialogue from the most recent episode resonates with many Americans in today’s society.”

(This version aims to simplify the original text by using more common phrasing and removing any potentially confusing or unnecessary terms.)

In episode three, Goldberg was referring to a discussion where the three intricate friends – portrayed by Leslie Bibb (Kate), Carrie Coon (Laurie), and Michelle Monaghan (Jaclyn) – who had gotten together for a vacation in Thailand, discovered that one of them, Kate, had cast her vote for Donald Trump during the U.S. presidential election.

Today’s political climate has sparked a lively conversation among the panelists on “The View” about the genuine difficulties of maintaining friendships across political divides.

Alyssa Farah Griffin believes that understanding someone’s fundamental character, values, and motivations allows for mutual respect and peaceful coexistence, even if one supports a different candidate. On the other hand, Joy Behar emphasizes that this issue transcends merely who was voted for.

Behar emphasized that the issue isn’t solely political; it encompasses moral and ethical considerations, as well as matters such as cruelty and discrimination. Essentially, these are deeply personal human values.

In wrapping up the conversation, Goldberg emphasized that these challenges aren’t fresh developments; they’ve been present all along, with bigots and misogynists lurking among us. This underscores the significance of channeling our efforts towards aspects we can manage in our personal lives.

As a gamer, I’m thinking that perhaps the changes happening, like dismantling the Department of Education, might not be all bad. It could challenge us to ensure our kids are truly getting the education they deserve. This task isn’t easy, and nobody wants it, but if it comes down to our survival – making sure future generations are well-equipped – then we’ve got to step up and take on this challenging mission, despite it being tough.

As a fan, I must say that the Trump vote scene in the show feels quite relevant, but interestingly enough, as actress Elizabeth Bibb shared with Entertainment Weekly, this scene was filmed prior to Trump announcing his reelection bid. It seems that Bibb had some sort of foresight, for when we shot it, it no longer felt timely. “I feel like Mike had binoculars into the future,” she said, “because when we did it, it just didn’t feel [timely anymore].” Intriguingly, I was struck by this realization as I thought, ‘We already did that. That was in the past.’ I don’t even think Trump was running at the time we filmed it – it was in January or February of last year, so yes, that was quite extraordinary.

Regarding Goldberg’s comment about “The Caucasian Lotus,” it seems the actress didn’t clarify her intended meaning. However, one possible interpretation could be that the cast of The White Lotus season three predominantly features white vacationers, while the staff members are primarily people of color or Thai, given that this season is set in Thailand.

In the third season, it’s not surprising that Mike White chose to emphasize inequality, as he previously shed light on the divide between Native Hawaiian staff and affluent white tourists in the first season. Natasha Rothwell, who returned for her role as Belinda in this new season, has also spoken about a deliberate scene in episode one where her character shares significant looks with a Black couple staying at the resort (Belinda was an employee in the White Lotus during the first season but is both a guest and trainee in the third season).

Rothwell shared that he discussed the idea with Mike during season three. He can’t emphasize enough how exceptional Mike is when it comes to collaboration, as he expressed to Vanity Fair last month. When they talked about Black travel experiences, Rothwell brought up a specific incident. While traveling in Ireland, he found himself at the top of a hill overlooking a castle shrouded in mist. In that moment, there were no other Black faces around, but then a Black family appeared from the mist. Rothwell locked eyes with them, and they walked towards each other, embracing.

She added, “Observing Black individuals exploring different locations gives you a sense of belonging in those areas. When Belinda witnesses an affluent Black couple strolling in – not having ever been employed by the White Lotus – it opens up a space for her to envision and aspire to that lifestyle, which I believe is why I am so invested in the concept of Black travel and representation. It was wonderful when I saw that scene written in the script.

Read More

2025-03-07 07:24