White Lotus star Jason Isaacs reignites war of words with Duke after school’s furious reaction to murder-suicide storyline
White Lotus star Jason Isaacs has trolled Duke after the show sparked a viral March Madness meme that angered the school.
English actor Isaacs plays Timothy Ratliff, whose North Carolina family enjoy a dramatic vacation in Thailand during the latest season of the HBO show.
After Isaac’s character learns he is being investigated by the FBI back in the United States, he steals his wife’s anxiety medication and a gun from a hotel security guard.
Ratliff then writes a suicide note and holds the gun to his head while wearing a Duke t-shirt.
The scene was broadcast ahead of March Madness and fans quickly joked that Ratliff illustrated how many Blue Devils fans would react if the No 1 seed did not win the national championship.
Duke hit out at the show’s ‘troubling’ use of their brand, claiming in a statement that the show ‘simply goes too far’.
The new White Lotus saw Jason Isaacs play a suicidal criminal wearing Duke merchandise
Timothy Ratliff (left) heads to Thailand with his family before learning the FBI are on to him
Isaacs has now mocked the school’s reaction, claiming he plans to wear Duke merchandise whenever he is in the spotlight.
The English actor recently appeared on the ‘Literally! With Rob Lowe’ podcast. Lowe’s son graduated from Duke and Isaacs joked: ‘I didn’t wear [the T-shirt] today, if I’d known, I’d have it on now.
‘But I am intending to wear them whenever there’s a camera around, so sorry, Duke. There goes my honorary degree.’
Duke was beaten by Houston in the Final Four of March Madness while, in White Lotus, the entire Ratliff family survived their trip to Thailand – despite Isaacs’ character threatening murder-suicide.
‘Duke appreciates artistic expression and creative storytelling, but characters prominently wearing apparel bearing Duke’s federally registered trademarks creates confusion and mistakenly suggests an endorsement or affiliation where none exists,’ the school said.
‘[It] 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.’
