Jennifer Coolidge Reacts to Natasha Rothwell’s Return to ‘The White Lotus’ (Exclusive)

Coolidge reacted while walking the TIME 100 Gala red carpet event in New York City.

Jennifer Coolidge is reacting to Natasha Rothwell returning to season 3 of The White Lotus, and she's intrigued about what it could mean for her character!

The 61-year-old actress was in a bit of a jesting mood Wednesday while on the red carpet for the TIME 100 Gala at the Lincoln Center in New York City -- where she's hosting and also being honored -- and she told ET's Rachel Smith she hadn't heard about Natasha Rothwell returning to the hit HBO series. But she offered her thoughts on whether fans might see her character, Tanya McQuoid, return to haunt Rothwell's character, Belinda Lindsey, from the dead.

"Oh, I didn't hear that [she was back] but now that Belinda's in. I mean, maybe. Maybe," Coolidge said. "I hope so."

When asked if there's any chance Coolidge might return in some kind of flashback episode in season 3, Coolidge seemed to be all in, but deferred to White Lotus creator Mike White.

"I mean, Mike White seems pretty firm about it," said Coolidge about her character being over and done with following her shocking death in the season 2 finale. "But Belinda's back in. Who knows, who knows?"

Earlier this month, ET confirmed Rothwell would be back after first appearing as the hotel spa manager.

During season 1, Belinda was often seen opposite guest Tanya, who took a liking to the hotel employee. Tanya even promised to invest in Belinda's plan to launch her own spa and wellness practice before reneging on the offer in the finale. 

While Tanya was killed off in season 2, White has said that season 3 will likely be "a kind of satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality," which "could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus." 

As for Coolidge returning to reprise her role, White has previously told Deadline that he couldn't imagine doing another installment without her.

"Jennifer is my friend and everybody loved her in the first season, and I was like, 'I can’t go to Italy without Jennifer.' And maybe that’s still the case. Like, maybe you can’t go to Japan without Jennifer, either." 

And Coolidge seems to be open for more. "Yes, yes. Of course," she told ET when asked about returning, before adding, "I mean, I don't know what Mike has in mind. But yes, I would love [to come back]." 

On top of being named to TIME's "100 Most Influential People of 2023" list, Coolidge is set to also be honored at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards with the Comedic Genius Award for making "incomparable contributions to the world of comedy, providing a major influence through their work and transforming the genre at-large."

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