The White Lotus

About

The White Lotus is an American television series produced by HBO that's about the guests at a chain of hotels and resorts where many eerie dysfunctions happen that become more complex as the season continues. The show was originally created by Mike White in 2021. In 2022, the show became a notable subject of memes and viral discussions on Twitter and elsewhere online. White Lotus memes predominantly centered on the catchiness of The White Lotus theme song and the catchphrase, "They Should Stay At The White Lotus," which was paired with photos of different characters, celebrities and pop culture references who'd fit into the show's universe either earnestly or ironically.

History

On May 10th, 2021, HBO officially announced on Twitter^[1] that Mike White's show The White Lotus was going to air on July 11th, 2021, gaining roughly 1,700 likes in one year. News outlet Collider^[2] was one of many to report on the show's release. Mike White is known for directing School of Rock and collaborating with actor Jack Black on many occasions.^[3] White also co-wrote The Emoji Movie. ^[3]

The show stars Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Sydney Sweeney and Molly Shannon, among others.

Reviews

Soon after the show's release, TV critics levied their reviews which were mostly positive. For instance, New York Times^[4] critic James Poniewozik made the movie a "Critic's Pick" in August 2021, writing, "this is a sharp, soulful series that knows its characters in full and gets richer as it goes on." On August 16th, 2021, The Guardian^[5] critic Lucy Mangan gave the show five out of five stars.

Online Presence

Soon after its July 2021 debut, The White Lotus generated discourse on Twitter.^[6] For instance, on July 27th, 2021, Twitter^[7] user finneas tweeted, "Theme song for white lotus is so fucking good it’s crazy," gaining over 4,600 likes in one year. On August 1st, 2021, Twitter^[8] user TinctureDrone tweeted a video of multiple animal musicians with, "no one: / the White Lotus score:" gaining roughly 5,700 likes in one year (shown below).

no one:
the White Lotus score: pic.twitter.com/AAS7bFlBJf

— “Volk” intensifies (@TinctureDrone) August 2, 2021

Related Memes

The White Lotus Theme Song / The White Lotus Opening

As stated, on July 27th, 2021, Twitter^[7] user finneas tweeted, "Theme song for white lotus is so fucking good it’s crazy," gaining over 4,600 likes in one year (shown below, left). Twitter user finneas' tweet was the first to mention the catchiness of The White Lotus theme song or opening song which later became a common reference in memes. For instance, on November 20th, 2022, Twitter^[9] user realnorireed tweeted, "Every year one turkey is pardoned to record the White Lotus theme song," in reference to the apparent animal sounds in the song. The tweet earned roughly 12,700 likes in eight days (shown below, right).

X Should Stay At The White Lotus

A phrasal template emerged and a general memetic concept about labeling celebrities, characters and other, notable people as individuals who should stay at The White Lotus hotel chain. The characters referenced were often symbols of elitism and high class due to the show's guests and families existing in the same social class.

The first person online to post a meme of this nature was Twitter^[10] user takeyourzoloft on August 10th, 2021, who captioned a photo of Kim and Ken from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills wearing Hawaiian clothes with, "White Lotus (2021)," gaining roughly 2,000 likes in one year (shown below, left). The concept continued into 2022, like on November 22nd, 2022, Twitter^[11] user sarahburhans_ captioned a photo of Succession characters with, "they should stay at the white lotus," gaining roughly 9,400 likes in six days (shown below, right).

Various Memes

Next episode of the white lotus pic.twitter.com/Loq8b7R8z5

— danielito (@slayonetta) November 28, 2022

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References