Duke Isn’t Happy About The White Lotus’s Merch Use

Call it March Madness. Duke University is arguing against the use of its official merchandise in season three of HBO’s The White Lotus. “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,” Frank Tramble, Duke’s VP for communications, marketing, and public affairs, said in a statement of the emotionally unwell Timothy Ratliff’s T-shirt. “Suicide is the second-leading cause of death on college campuses. 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.” In March 23’s episode, “Denials,” Timothy (Jason Isaacs), who’s on the hook for white-collar crimes back in the United States, imagines a murder-suicide happening to him and his wife, played by Parker Posey, at the White Lotus Spa and Resort while wearing the NCAA school’s merch. Throughout the season, both Timothy and his wife Victoria Ratliff have mentioned North Carolina schools, but only Duke merch has popped up onscreen.

“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,” Tramble added. Hey, look on the bright side — at least nobody was wearing school merch during the brother-on-brother hookup.

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