Renée Rapp has decided to quit Mindy Kaling’s hit series The Sex Lives of College Girls. She will exit the series during its upcoming third season.
Though fans may be disappointed with the news, the 23-year-old actress will still appear as Leighton Murray in a couple of episodes, but as a recurring guest star rather than a series regular, which sets up her character Leighton Murray’s departure from Essex College.
The “Too Well” singer shared a statement on Twitter, telling fans that taking on the role of Leighton had “changed my life.”
She also offered her gratitude to HBO Max and the show creators for allowing her to play an unapologetically “queer” role for the past “two and a half years”.
“College Girls moved me out to LA and introduced me to some of my favourite people,’ the bisexual star wrote in her message to fans. “Two and a half years later – it’s given me y’all and this community. Thank you, Mindy, [co-creator] Justin [Noble], and everyone at Max for believing in me.
“A lot of queer work gets belittled but playing Leighton has changed my life. I love who I am 10x more than I did before knowing her. I hope she gave y’all a little bit of that too. She’s such a tiny part of representation but even the tiny parts count.
“I wouldn’t be half the person I am without her and y’all. I love that b***h more than you know. I’m so excited for this season and I can’t wait for you to see what we have coming for her and the girls.”
Max renewed The Sex Lives of College Girls for a third season in December. The series, created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, also stars Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, and Alyah Chanelle Scott in principal roles.
Stay tuned to this space for more updates!
Ashwyn Singh on language, identity, and the comedy of belonging nowhere Instagram/ashwynsingh 
Ashwyn Singh turns immigrant life into laughs Instagram/ashwynsingh 
