Duke University isn't too happy their logo was shown during a recent episode of 'The White Lotus.' Warning! Spoilers ahead from the latest episode of 'The White Lotus' titled "Denials."
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Duke University isn't too happy their logo was shown during a recent episode of The White Lotus.
00:06Warning, spoilers ahead from the latest episode of The White Lotus titled Denials. In the episode,
00:12Jason Isaac's character Timothy Ratliff is seen wearing a Duke t-shirt
00:16during a scene where he contemplates suicide and holds a gun to his head.
00:20After an ex-user made a meme relating the scene to Duke's fate in the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament,
00:25the school condemned the message in a reply, writing,
00:28Suicide is the second leading cause of death on college campuses.
00:32Rivalry is part of March Madness, but some imagery goes too far.
00:35If you or someone you know needs support, call or text the Suicide Prevention hotline at 988.
00:40The university's vice president for communications, marketing, and public affairs then shared this statement with the New York Times.
00:46Duke appreciates artistic expression and creative storytelling,
00:50but characters prominently wearing apparel bearing Duke's federally registered trademarks creates confusion and mistakenly suggests an endorsement or
00:57affiliation where none exists. The statement continued,
01:00The White Lotus not only uses our brand without permission,
01:03but in our view uses it on imagery that is troubling, does not reflect our values or who we are, and
01:08simply goes too far. The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Duke University for comment.
01:13HBO declined to comment. For more on this story and all the latest news, go to THR.com. This is The Hollywood Reporter News.