Who is Mike White from The White Lotus? Everything to know about the Emmy Awards-winning director

"The White Lotus" Season 3 Bangkok Premiere - Source: Getty
Mike White attends The White Lotus Season 3 Bangkok Premiere at ICONSIAM River Park on February 14, 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Image via Getty)

Mike White is an American writer, director, and actor, well known for his most recent project, the HBO anthology series The White Lotus. Mike has written and directed every episode of the series so far. Each season of The White Lotus focuses on a new storyline set in a different White Lotus hotel, showcasing a dark mystery surrounding the hotel staff, guests, and the locals.

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The White Lotus has received widespread acclaim, winning multiple awards for its acting, writing, and production. Among its accolades are fifteen Primetime Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Limited Series, and two Golden Globes, including Best Limited Series.

As per Deadline, a Hollywood news outlet, it is one of HBO's successful projects, with each episode gaining over a million views in the US.

The White Lotus season 3 contains eight episodes and takes place in Thailand. The new installment is set to star Leslie Bibb, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, and more. Additionally, Natasha Rothwell, who starred in season one, returns for the new season.

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Mike White's Emmy Awards-winning series The White Lotus

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Mike White created, wrote, and directed The White Lotus season 3. The eight-episode season premiered on HBO on February 16, 2025. So far, critics have rated the season positively. According to the review aggregator website rottentomatoes.com, 89% of 151 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.85/10.

The third installment was filmed in Thailand, specifically in cities like Bangkok, Ko Samui, and Phuket, from February to August 2024. The story follows a White Lotus resort in Thailand, unfolding a new dark mystery, involving the guests, staff, and locals. Initially, White was against filming in Thailand, but HBO insisted because of the tax benefits, as per his interview with the Hollywood Reporter.

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In the same interview with the American magazine, he said he "hallucinated" the plot for the new season.

“I got really sick with bronchitis. They put me on a nebulizer. It was like I’d smoked crack — not that I’ve smoked crack. For two days, I did not sleep. I was just lying in a hospital bed [in Chiang Mai], trying to think about what the show was, and it came to me,” he said.
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The new season of The White Lotus explores mysteries surrounding a new resort within the hotel chain. As the guests and staff let loose their worst impulses, their relaxing vacation slowly begins to unravel. As the season progresses, darker complexities are revealed in these picture-perfect guests, staff, and locals.

The finale for The White Lotus season 3 is scheduled for release on April 6, 2025, on HBO. The series is available for streaming on the HBO Max app.

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Mike White's career so far

Mike White attends "The White Lotus" Season 3 Bangkok Premiere at ICONSIAM River Park on February 14, 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand. (Image via Getty)
Mike White attends "The White Lotus" Season 3 Bangkok Premiere at ICONSIAM River Park on February 14, 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand. (Image via Getty)

Mike White is an American director, actor, and scriptwriter. Born in Pasadena, California, to Lyla Lee and James White, he began his writing career after meeting Zak Penn while studying at Wesleyan University. Although their partnership ended a few years later, they have remained on good terms with each other.

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He has written and acted in many films, such as Chuck & Buck, The Good Girl, and School of Rock. Mike made his directorial debut with Year of the Dog, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. During his early days in the industry, he also appeared as a contestant on TV shows like The Amazing Race and Survivor.

HBO approached Mike White for project ideas in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic. He came up with the idea for the limited series The White Lotus.

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The series has garnered over a million views per episode and won multiple awards, including Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.

Beyond television, Mike White has also written the script for animated films like Migration and Despicable Me 4.


The road ahead for the series and its creator

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The White Lotus has already been confirmed for a fourth season, with filming set to begin in 2026 and a release planned for the latter half of the year. Mike promised the audience of an all-star cast for the upcoming season in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter.

As per Deadline, he remains keen on exploring all continents on the show, making Australia a strong possibility as a location for the upcoming season. Mike is currently focused on his ongoing successful series, and not much is known about his upcoming projects.

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Stay tuned with us for further updates.

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Edited by Sriparna Barui
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