"The White Lotus" creator Mike White did not hold back when he was asked about an alleged feud with composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, calling Tapia de Veer's decision to speak to the media days before the show's season finale "a b---- move."
White dialed into "The Howard Stern Show" on Tuesday and was asked about what happened with Tapia de Veer, who publicly announced in an interview with The New York Times that he would not be returning for a fourth season of the hit HBO series and hinted at strife between him and White stemming from its first season.
"I just don't think he respected me. He, like, wants people to know that he's edgy and dark and I'm, I don't know, like, I watch reality TV," White told Stern.
Tapia de Veer, who won three Emmys for his work on the show, told the Times in the interview published Wednesday that he had creative disagreements and fights with White, adding that White initially wanted music that lacked edge for the first season's theme.
"He had a temp score, a song that is more like something you would listen to in Ibiza, in some clubby place with a chill, sexy vibe," Tapia de Veer said. "And there’s literally no edge to it. It’s a good song; it’s nice music. There’s just absolutely no — whatever you find in the 'White Lotus' music, the relationships with the characters — there’s none of that. It’s just nice background music."
When the show's third season premiered Feb. 16, social media exploded as audience members noted the discontinuation of the theme song from the first two seasons, which was replaced by music that paid homage to Thailand, where the season was set.
Tapia de Veer wanted to humor the public's longing for the familiar war cry melody by weaving it into a longer version of the Season 3 theme, but he said White refused because of their fights, the Times reported. He uploaded the longer version to his YouTube last month.
White, on the other hand, said he never fought with Tapia de Veer.
"We never really even fought. I don't know what — he says we feuded, I don't think I ever had a fight with him except maybe some emails," White said on "The Howard Stern Show."
"But it was just basically, like, me giving him notes, you know? Like, I just don't think he liked to have to go through the process of getting notes from me or wanting revisions or whatever," he said.
White said Tapia de Veer is not a team player "and wanted to do it his way," adding that he was "thrown" that Tapia de Veer spoke to the press "to s--- on" him and the show ahead of the finale.
"It was kind of a b---- move," he said.
White also said he felt Tapia de Veer was making a big deal out of differences in opinion, but he highlighted that he thinks Tapia de Veer is "very talented."
Stern told White that Tapia de Veer should follow White's vision for the music, as he is the show's creator.
"Why quit a smash hit show because you got some notes and some differences? Just f---ing work it out," he said.
After the radio show aired Tuesday, Tapia de Veer wrote on X that he's "gonna have to tell the full story now."
"I did try to avoid it, dude...," he wrote.
In an update Tuesday afternoon, Tapia de Veer shared a screenshot of what appears to be an Instagram reel with the caption "the white lotus composer QUIT because mike white made him cut the second half of this song and I will never forgive mike for as long as I live."
Tapia de Veer said he "learned a lot about how they work a BS campaign that builds towards an interview where the guy capitalizes on the lies they spread."
"I’m glad I archive all texts and emails dude, they all have dates and stuff you know, those can be verified it’s not just talking... :)," he wrote on X.
