The school is no longer in operation Renee Rapp—at least, not at Essex College. Second volume of Sex life of female college students season three bids farewell to Rapp’s ambitious Leighton Murray, who transfers to a university that can offer her more advanced math courses. Do better, fictional Essex curriculum!
Last July, Rapp joined Olivia Rodrigo, Regé-Jean Page, And Kevin Costner by announcing that she plans to leave her popular television series to pursue other career opportunities. Since the show premiered in 2021, Rapp has played the role of Regina George in female Mean girl musical moviesafter playing the same role on Broadway in 2019, while also releasing her debut studio album, Snow angel.
rap shared the news of her passing on social media writing, “college girls moved me to LA and introduced me to some fly lovers.” She went on to thank the series creators Mindy Kaling And Noble Justinadding, “a lot of queer jobs are looked down upon — but playing Leighton changed my life. I love the person I was 10 times more than before I knew her. I hope she gives you a little of that too.” Earlier this year, Rapp may have put her departure into further context, telling Vanity fair: “The people in my life that I work with now care about me as a person. And I think that’s different from what I’ve experienced in the past.”
At the beginning of the semester—yes, it’s been nearly two years since our girls last appeared on screen, even though they’re still somehow only sophomores—Leighton had just returned from a trip backpacking through Europe with ex-girlfriend Alicia (Midori Francis, everyone is leaving Grey’s Anatomy as a series regular this season). Alicia is about to leave Essex to work in Boston, and Leighton comes up with the idea of joining her by transferring to MIT.
Torn over whether to change schools or hang out with friends—Bela (Amrit Kaur), Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet)and Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott)—Leighton briefly tested the situation by going to the nearby University of Vermont to take some higher-level math classes. Ultimately, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to both better position her future financial career and be with the person she loves. “I met you three and you gave me the strength to be myself,” Leighton said in a tearful goodbye on their last night together, which of course included one final showdown in the dorms. Their Essex clinic.
Showrunner Justin Noble breaks down Rapp’s exit with Vanity Fair, and shares what will happen with the show’s two new characters.
Vanity Fair: At what point in writing the third season did you know that Reneé planned to leave the show?
Noble Justin: We’ve been in a writers’ strike for a long time. So by the time the strike was resolved, Mindy and I started talking and knew we were going to write two episodes with Leighton and then send her off. We started talking about what we felt was most realistic. And this is Leighton Murray—a winner or a quitter. So the only way Leighton leaves is if it’s what’s best for her.
