‘White Lotus’ creator Mike White fires back after Quebec composer’s harsh words

Mike White arrives at the season three premiere of "The White Lotus" on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, at Paramount Theater in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello/AP Photo)

Days after the highly-anticipated season finale of The White Lotus, creator Mike White has fired back at the Quebec composer who had some harsh words about his experience working on the hit HBO show.

White gave an interview to The Howard Stern Show Tuesday responding to recent comments in the media from Cristobal Tapia de Veer, who likened to working with the show’s creator to a “toxic relationship.”

Four days before the April 5 finale of the show’s third season, Tapia de Veer told The New York Times that the two had clashed about an alternate cut of the theme song of the show, known for its signature “ooh-loo-loo-loo” sound, and has called it quits.

He has ruled out returning for Season 4.

However, White denied that claim, telling Stern “we never really fought” and criticized the Emmy-winning composer’s “PR campaign about him leaving the show,” saying “I just don’t think he respected me.”

“I don’t know what he’s talking — we supposedly feuded. I don’t think I ever had a fight with him, except maybe some emails,” White said in the interview.

“I knew he was not, like, a team player and that he wanted to do it his way, or whatever, but I was thrown that he would, like, 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.”

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Tapia de Veer said he stayed on the show for so long because he felt a personal “responsibility” to the original score after it became such a big hit with the fans.

“We reached a point (that was) unsustainable on a personal level. I just want to be more comfortable with the people I work with,” he said of his relationship with the show’s creator.

He said he wished the sounds of Season 3, set in Thailand, were “less censored” but was overall happy with how things turned out musically.

Variety reported that more than 6.2 million viewers watched last Sunday’s finale, a 51 per cent increase from the Season 2 finale and a 158 per cent increase from the Season 3 premiere.

With files from The Canadian Press