Upcoming White Lotus season dragged into Russia-Ukraine conflict
Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the Mike White series for casting Serbian-Russian actor Miloš Biković, who they claim supports genocide
Season 3 of The White Lotus is generating international conflict before any of its guests have even checked in. Earlier this week, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a video on Twitter/X that opens with a startling claim: “A genocide supporter has joined the cast of the HBO dark comedy, The White Lotus.” That alleged supporter is Serbian-Russian actor Miloš Biković, who was recently cast as a wellness guru in the upcoming season of Mike White’s hit series.
The video goes on to call Biković, who has held Russian citizenship since 2021 (per Entertainment Weekly), “the Kremlin’s foreign mouthpiece,” pointing out that he’s received “prizes for humble service to Russia’s art and culture,” filmed TV shows in “occupied Crimea,” and alleging that he “justifies [Crimea’s] hostile Russian seizure” and “denies Democracy and hoorays Russia’s terror against Ukraine.” The video (interspersed with clips of Jennifer Coolidge “reacting” to these claims), ends with a call to action: “Dear HBO, do you really support genocide?”