The beloved Max comedy series returned for season 3 on Nov. Rapp, who announced her departure in July , later revealed she was stepping away to focus on her music career β a goal she had always envisioned. Rapp's breakout role as Leighton helped launch her music career, leading to a deal with Interscope Records, her debut album Snow Angel and a Video Music Awards nomination for best new artist.
Here's everything to know about why Rapp isn't a series regular this season and what she has said about her exit from the show. In July , Rapp announced her departure in a post on X formerly Twitter , expressing gratitude for her time on the show and the "community" it had given her. The Mean Girls star later explained that she "always knew" that she would get to music "by any means necessary" during an August interview with The Cut , confirming that she had wanted to focus more on her music career.
It took really insane situations," Rapp said. A few months earlier, she had opened up about why the first year filming the show was "terrible" during an appearance on a March episode of Call Her Daddy. I hated going to work, because I was like, 'I don't think I'm like good enough to be here. I don't think I can be here. I don't think I can be doing this. She continued, "I was so freaked out by the idea of my sexuality, not being finite or people laughing at me or me laughing at myself that I hated first year of filming.
Shortly after the strike ended, Rapp opened up to The Hollywood Reporter in February about her bittersweet departure and the complexities behind it, calling it "hard for so many reasons. Revisiting the scene brought a mix of emotions.
Although Rapp had announced her departure in , she does appear in a few episodes of season 3 as a recurring character. While Rapp won't be getting a direct replacement, the show is welcoming fresh faces Gracie Lawrence and Mia Rodgers as Essex newcomers Kacey and Taylor.
