Aahana Swrup
When Leighton Murray first steps into Essex College in ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls,’ she has a very clear vision of what she wants the next ̃few years of her life to look like. She’s a double legacy student who applies to the liberal arts college with two of her childhood friends, under the impression that they would be rooming together. However, her friends end up stabbing her in the back, compelling her to move into a dorm room with three random girls. Eventually, these girls, Bela, Kimberly, and Whitney, go on to become her closest and most treasured friends.
In season 3, life throws a few more curveballs Leighton’s way, this time on a much larger scale. As it turns out, despite its prestige, Essex is hardly the best place for a mathematics program. This means that if the prodigal math student wants to explore her options, she might just have to put in her transfer papers. Inevitably, this storyline shakes things up regarding Leighton and, subsequently, actress Renée Rapp’s involvement in the show. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Essex’s Lack of a Proper Math Program Sends Leighton to Boston
Leighton Murray enrolls in Essex College with the expectation of joining a sorority and ends up joining the mathematics club. Even though she has no hidden love for the subject, she discovers that she’s incredibly exceptional at it, which is ultimately what pushes her to pursue a high-level class. However, come season 3, funding issues lead to the dissolution of the advanced class, threatening to pluck it right out of Leighton’s curriculum. Although disappointing, this isn’t exactly surprising given the school’s liberal arts background. Around the same time, another troubling situation bubbles in the college student’s personal life. Earlier, she had gotten back together with her ex-girlfriend, Alicia, a fellow student and the volunteer overseer at the Women’s Center.
Previously, Leighton being in the closet had been the biggest source of friction between the couple. Therefore, this time around, they find themselves on much more stable ground. That is, until Alicia receives a promising job opportunity in Boston. Pitching the offer up against staying in Essex and continuing to stack up her student loans highlights a clear winner. However, a move to Boston would inevitably spell out the end of her and Leighton’s romance. For the same reason, it’s almost fateful when the latter’s math professor presents her with a solution to her academic woes that end up being the perfect fix for her love life as well. As it turns out, MIT, the prestigious school in Massachusetts, has a slot open for her. While the ability to stay closer to Alicia definitely influences Leighton’s decision, the advanced math program at MIT is what ultimately sells her on the idea. Thus, she ends up finalizing her transfer from Essex.
Reneé Rapp Likely Exited The Sex Lives of College Girls to Dedicate More Time to Her Music Career
Following a career in musical theater, Reneé Rapp landed her first television role as Leighton Murray in ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls.’ The Max teen comedy series proved to be a breakout role for the actress, who was, at the time, most notably known for her role as Regina George in a Broadway production of ‘Mean Girls.’ Stepping into Leighton’s on-screen shoes was a remarkable experience for Rapp, who, much like her character in the show, was working through her own sexuality in real life. At times, this overlap ended up creating some terrible situations for the actress, who found herself confronting her own internalized homophobia. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, she continues to look back fondly on her time as the character.
After announcing her departure from the series as a regular in 2023, Rapp took to social media to bid farewell to the fans, the project, and the character. She shared, “College Girls moved me out to L.A. and introduced me to some of my favorite people. Two and a half years later—it’s given me y’all and this community. Thank u Mindy, Justin 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*tch 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.”
Although Rapp has never explicitly stated the reasons behind her departure from the series, her music career is likely a significant factor in this decision. Earlier, in 2022, Rapp expressed her longstanding desire to prioritize her music career in a conversation with Variety. She said, “[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…Acting was my way into tricking everyone that I warranted attention, so that I could have this interview with you.” Since her departure from ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls,’ the actress/musician has released her second studio album, ‘Bite Me’ and undertaken multiple tours as a musical artist.
Read More: The Sex Lives of College Girls Season 4: Why Was it Canceled?
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