Conan O’Brien, Mike White. Getty Images (2)
Conan O’Brien could have been a male gigolo — on TV, that is.
The comedian had Walton Goggins, who stars on season 3 of The White Lotus, as a guest on Monday, August 19, episode of his “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast. There, O’Brien, 61, recounted a chance meeting with Mike White, creator of the HBO hit.
“Before you guys started shooting The White Lotus, I ran into none other than Mike White in a restaurant,” he recalled. “We start chatting because we’ve met each other once or twice before and he’s a very funny, cool guy. I said, ‘Hey, so the next season of The White Lotus, you’re going down to Thailand, right?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ And I said, ‘I was there. I had a great time. I made a lot of friends.’ I said, ‘If there’s a part for me, I’m available.’”
White then replied, “You know, there’s a lot of sex work there,” prompting O’Brien to offer his services in a way he hadn’t previously considered.
Survivor alum and The White Lotus creator Mike White can’t resist drawing parallels between his reality breakout and his hit HBO show. White, 53, was a contestant on Survivor: David vs. Goliath in 2018, where he was runner-up to Nick Wilson in a controversial finish. The White Lotus premiered three years later and was an […]
“I said, ‘I could do that. ….I could play a part where I’m a male gigolo or something,’” he quipped.
Through his laughter —and the laughter of co-hosts Sona Movsesian and Matt Gourley — Goggins joked that “this is the last podcast you will ever do, Conan.”
The actor then gave O’Brien some encouragement, adding, “Yes, you could do that. I believe that you could do that.”
O’Brien wisely sought clarification after that comment.
Paolo Camilli, Tom Hollander, Bruno Gouery Jennifer Coolidge and Francesco Zecca in ‘White Lotus.’ Fabio Lovino/HBO
“Do you think I could play that part or do you think I actually could be a gigolo?” he asked, to which Goggins responded, “Well, I think you could do both. I think you could play that part and you could be that person in real life.”
The White Lotus season 3 is slated for release sometime in 2025, though an exact date is still to be determined. Production was delayed due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, prolonging the wait after season 2 ended in December 2022.
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White has not yet revealed the plot of season 3, but teased a possible theme for the next installment of the anthology series.
“The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex,” he said in HBO Max’s Unpacking S2 E7 special. “I think the third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus.”
Though O’Brien won’t appear as a gigolo, Natasha Rothwel will reprise her role as spa manager Belinda from season 1. Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger and more are also part of the season three cast.