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Reneé Rapp Leaving The Sex Lives Of College Girls Amid Season 3

​​​​​​​View Date:2024-12-23 23:24:25

It appears Reneé Rapp is ready to graduate from The Sex Lives Of College Girls.

The actress—who portrayed Essex College student Leighton on the first two seasons of the Max series—is officially moving on from her character, co-creator Mindy Kaling confirmed July 10.

"We love @reneerapp so much and of course will be so sad to say goodbye to Leighton Murray!" Kaling wrote on her Instagram Stories before referencing Rapp's thriving music career. "We can't wait to see our friend on tour!!"

Rapp later confirmed her departure in a statement, writing on her social media pages, "College Girls moved me out to LA and introduced me to some of my favorite people. 2 and a half years later—it's given me y'all and this community."

Thanking Kaling and series co-creator Justin Noble for "believing in me," the 23-year-old continued, "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."

She added, "I love that bitch more than you know. I'm so excited for this season and I can't for you to see what we have coming for her and the girls." 

Rapp will exit the series—which also stars Pauline ChalametAmrit Kaur and Alyah Chanelle Scott—as a regular in season three and will instead appear in a handful of episodes in a recurring capacity.

Prior to news of her exit, Rapp recalled struggling with imposter syndrome while filming season one. 

"The first year doing College Girls was terrible," Rapp told Alex Cooper on the Feb. 28 episode of her podcast, Call Her Daddy. "It sucked so bad. At the time, I was in a heteronormative relationship and I hated going to work."

"I was like, 'I don't think I'm good enough to be here,'" she added. "'I don't think I can be here. I don't think I can be doing this. Maybe I'm just trying too hard?' I would come home and I would psych myself out, literally."

Rapp also recalled questioning herself for playing Leighton—who comes out as gay during the first season of the show—while on her own journey with her sexuality.

"I will never forget, I sat on my front porch and called one of my friends and I was like, 'I am straight, I think I'm straight, I can't do this,'" Rapp, who identifies as bisexual, said. "I was just in panic constantly. I wasn't [straight], but I was so freaked out by the idea of my sexuality not being finite or people laughing at me—or me laughing at myself—that I hated the first year of filming."

Though, she eventually found peace in taking on the role of Leighton.

"I wanted to play the role in a way that, if I saw it as a kid, it would feel good to me," she shared. "I wanted to do a good job so bad that I was just so nervous all the time."

E! News reached out to Max but has not received comment.

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