The White Lotus star Carrie Coon has clapped back at Meghan McCain amid the duo’s public spat after the hit show made a reference to Donald Trump.
The war of words was ignited when Coon first reshared a post by McCain on X with a cryptic message to her followers, triggering the commentator to announce she may boycott the series because the actress decided to ‘tweet some nasty crap’ at her.
Their online feud came after Coon’s character on the show was involved in one of The White Lotus’ most viral scenes.
It showed three childhood friends, Coon as Laurie, Leslie Bibb as Kate, and Michelle Monaghan as Jaclyn discussing politics over a bottle of wine when Kate reveals she is a MAGA supporter.
Now, in a tell-all with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the HBO show’s season finale on Sunday, Coon has waded back into the conversation with a positive take, to highlight why McCain likely would have resonated with the scene.
‘I do think people like Meghan McCain and her community are really gratified to see a conservative person on television,’ she said.
‘I have conservative people in my life who reached out to me to say that was an awesome conversation, because I don’t think it vilifies Kate.’
After Trump’s joint address to congress in early March, McCain took to X to reveal his speech had brought her to tears.
Coon’s character on the show was involved in one of the most viral scenes, in which three childhood friends began discussing politics over a bottle of wine and one of the women revealed she was a MAGA supporter. Pictured: Her initial reaction to the revelation
Coon has waded back into the conversation to reveal why McCain likely would have resonated with the scene. ‘I do think people like Meghan McCain and her community are really gratified to see a conservative person on television,’ she said
‘This is the first time I can remember crying during a state of the union. Thank you President Trump. This is so beautiful. Anyone who has been impacted by brain cancer knows how special this is,’ she said on March 4, referring to a touching moment when brain cancer survivor Devarjaye ‘DJ’ Daniel was made an honorary secret service agent.
McCain’s father, the late senator John McCain, tragically died from brain cancer in 2018.
A day later on March 5, Coon replied with a mysterious message, writing: ‘Who’s gonna tell her?’
Two days later, McCain hit back by sharing the smirking photo of Coon’s colleague Leslie Bibb, who plays Trump-supporting Kate.
McCain then said she couldn’t ‘decide if I should still watch tonight since one of the stars decided to tweet some nasty crap at me.’
While Coon’s latest comments appear to be taking the high road amid the drama, McCain shared her disappointment on Monday, revealing she was left ‘absolutely heartbroken’ by the federal government’s recently-passed spending bill.
The six-month continuing resolution, which was passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the president last month, includes major cuts to research into the cancer that killed her father, the late Sen. John McCain.
McCain said that the National Institutes of Health had tried to treat her father for the incurable cancer, and have developed a laser-focused Glioblastoma treatment to reduce the size of tumors, which she called ‘nothing short of a miracle.’
Federal funds to research further treatments are now at risk under the spending bill, as it would cut funds for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program – which finances various cancer research programs through the NIH.
‘My fellow Republicans – this is wrong,’ Meghan McCain posted on X Tuesday before quickly deleting it.
‘I am absolutely heartbroken at the news the funding for brain cancer research has been completely cut from NIH,’ she continued, noting ‘my father and millions of others have been treated there for Glioblastoma and other brain cancers with miracle doctors and nurses. Those of us who are part of the brain cancer community are mourning today.’
While McCain’s run-in with Coon highlighted the contrasting opinions which can create division among peers, Bibb said she found the Trump scene ‘amazing’, praising show creator Mike White for his ‘uncanny ability to instantly be part of the zeitgeist.’
The scene was actually written in 2022 – long before Trump was reelected to the White House.
‘They were supposed to shoot this season in 2023. Then the writers strike happened,’ Bibb revealed. The delay sparked concerns among cast and crew that it would have felt ‘dated’ by the time the show went to air.
But in reality, it hit a nerve more than the those involved ever could have anticipated, airing just months after Trump’s inauguration and return to the White House.
McCain contemplated boycotting the show after Coon called her out on X in response to a post showing support for Trump
McCain hit back by sharing the smirking photo of Coon’s colleague Leslie Bibb, who plays Trump-supporting Kate, after breaking the news of her allegience to her friends in the scene
After Trump’s joint address to congress in early March, McCain took to X to reveal his speech had brought her to tears
And White actually chose to dial it back, leaving more of the Trump dialogue on the cutting room floor.
‘There was more to that conversation,’ Coon revealed.
‘Originally, you discovered that Laurie’s daughter is nonbinary and Laurie is struggling with her teenager going by ‘they/them.’
‘The Trump thing becomes much more offensive to Laurie because of her daughter, but this was before Trump was reelected and before this war on the trans community was escalated.
‘Mike felt that it was actually too political, or too far, or too distracting.’
White said the scene felt right back in March of 2024, but by the time it came to making the final cuts, there had been ‘a vibe shift.’
‘I don’t think that it was radical, but that’s not the kind of attention I want. The politics of it could overwhelm whatever ideas I’m trying to talk about.’
