‘White Lotus’ star Carrie Coon only had 12 words for Meghan McCain following ‘nasty crap’

A heated back-and-forth between actress Carrie Coon and political commentator Meghan McCain recently got worse after McCain criticized Coon’s role in HBO’s The White Lotus. Their argument started because they saw a storyline in the show differently, but it also points to bigger differences in their political beliefs. Spoilers for the finale to The White Lotus are below.

The main issue was Coon’s character, Laurie, a liberal lawyer, on a vacation in Thailand with friends. In one important scene, Laurie and her friends talk about politics, and it comes out that one of them, Kate, voted for Donald Trump. Coon has said this scene was meant to show how friendships can handle political disagreements, not to judge Kate for her vote. She even told Variety that some conservative viewers told her they liked how the scene was handled.

McCain, however, didn’t see it that way. She told The Hollywood Reporter that the show made conservatives look bad by making Kate seem like the responsible, family-focused one while painting Laurie, the liberal character, in a more negative way. Because of this, McCain publicly criticized Coon’s performance and said the show misrepresented conservative views.

McCain and Coon argue over finale meaning

Coon replied in a vague way, per Page Six, which led McCain to post a screenshot from The White Lotus where Kate’s Trump vote is revealed. This made the argument worse, with McCain even wondering aloud whether she should keep watching the show if Coon didn’t respect her political opinions.

McCain brought up a scene where Laurie, drunk, makes a rude gesture at hotel staff, using it as proof that the liberal character wasn’t portrayed fairly. This was the most public and angry moment in their feud.

Coon’s reply to all of McCain’s criticisms was surprisingly short. She just said she hoped McCain liked the show’s ending and was glad she was watching. This quiet response was very different from the longer explanations Coon had given before about her character and the show’s message.

The real reason for this fight isn’t just about a TV show. It’s part of the bigger split in American politics. Coon, who has been open about her liberal views, and McCain, a well-known conservative, were already on opposite sides. The White Lotus just gave them a public place to argue, showing how hard it is for people with different politics to talk without fighting.