Duke University unhappy with being a part of The White Lotus

Duke expresses concern over its brand being used in The White Lotus, referencing troubling mental health imagery.

Duke University has expressed dissatisfaction with its logo being featured in The White Lotus, particularly in a scene where Jason Isaacs' character is seen wearing a Duke T-shirt.

The T-shirt appears in a tense moment in episode five, where Isaacs' character holds a gun to his temple, sparking a wave of memes on social media, especially among Duke’s detractors. The North Carolina-based university, known for its basketball team, would have typically welcomed positive exposure. However, the portrayal of Duke alumni in The White Lotus comes amid controversial actions by the characters—one being involved in a money-laundering scandal, while another is depicted engaging in inappropriate behavior with his brother.

In a statement to Bloomberg, Frank Tramble, Duke's Vice President for Communications, Marketing, and Public Affairs, voiced concerns over the use of the university’s brand. He criticized the depiction as troubling, noting that it misrepresents the institution’s values. "The White Lotus not only uses our brand without permission, but in our view, uses it on imagery that is troubling, does not reflect our values or who we are, and simply goes too far,” Tramble said.

Tramble further emphasized the seriousness of the portrayal, particularly in light of mental health issues on college campuses. "Suicide is the second-leading cause of death on college campuses," he added. “As imagery from the show is being shared widely across social media, we are using our brand to promote mental health awareness and remind people that help is available."

This isn’t the first time a brand has faced backlash for its portrayal in television. Peloton, for example, had to defend its image after a character’s death while riding one of its bikes in And Just Like That… (2021), while Crock-Pot faced criticism after one of its slow cookers was involved in a pivotal plotline in This Is Us.

For Duke, however, the hope remains that its logo will not appear in any more controversial scenes as the series progresses. With two episodes left, there’s always a chance the narrative could take a turn.