The White Lotus wrapped up its third season on Sunday, April 6, amid off-screen drama. Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, the show’s award-winning composer, announced his departure. In an interview with The New York Times published April 2, Tapia de Veer blamed his exit on frequent creative clashes with White Lotus creator Mike White. Days later, White addressed the feud.
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‘The White Lotus’ Creator Slams Ex-Composer: “Kind of a B—- Move”
Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, 51, has likened the tension with Mike White to that of “a rock n’ roll band story.”
“I was like, OK, this is like a rock band I’ve been in before where the guitar player doesn’t understand the singer at all,’” he told The New York Times.
The score literally makes this scene the show is beyond cooked without Cristobal tapia de veer pic.twitter.com/lbdePMA7ZY
— Coastal Elite (@polarctrl) April 3, 2025
The White Lotus creator downplayed the feud during an interview with Howard Stern published April 8. “We never really even fought… He says we feuded. I don’t think I ever had a fight with him, except maybe some emails,” White, 54, told Stern.
However, White did acknowledge creative differences between himself and Tapia de Veer, characterizing the Emmy winner as “not a team player.”
“I just don’t think he respected me,” the Survivor runner-up said. “He, like, wants people to know that he’s edgy and dark, and I’m — I don’t know. Like, I watch reality TV.”
Not mincing words, White added, “But I was thrown that he would go to The New York Times to s— on me and the show like, three days before the finale. It was, like, kind of a b—- move.”
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Cristobal Tapia de Veer Addresses His Future
Tapia de Veer, who has won three Emmy Awards for his work on The White Lotus, recalled his phone flooding with complaints about the show’s new theme song. After he claims Mike White shot down his suggestion of releasing a longer version, the composer uploaded it to his YouTube instead.
Later, Tapia de Veer told The Cut that he’s taking a break from the small screen. “What happened was bad enough that there’s no HBO in my future at all until people get replaced. Which happens in the business,” he said. “But I don’t really care about that, because I’m really not looking for TV shows, to be honest.”
Featured image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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