‘Sex Lives Of College Girls’ Star Gracie Lawrence Says Role Isn’t “Replacing” Reneé Rapp’s Leighton

Although Reneé Rapp has officially departed The Sex Lives of College Girls, Season 3 of the Max comedy series is continuing with a few new faces.

Gracie Lawrence, who plays high-maintenance virginal new roommate Kacey, recently explained that the character is not “replacing” Rapp’s Leighton, who left Essex College this season to pursue a more advanced program at MIT.

“I think Kacey’s very different [from Rapp’s character, Leighton],” Lawrence told Us Weekly. “There was no intention of ever feeling like it was replacing [her] or anything like that because that’s an iconic character. Leighton is a beloved iconic character. I don’t think anyone — from the creators of the show to any of the actors — would want to step on the toes of that.”

After Kacey’s intro in episode ‘Four to a Suite’, as the new student taking Leighton’s spot in the suite with Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet), Bela (Amrit Kaur) and Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott), Lawrence said the Max series’ showrunners are “trying to do something totally new” with the introduction of her and Mia Rodgers’ queer sober freshman Taylor.

“They’re building out the cast with so much respect and homage to what [Rapp] brought to the show,” explained Lawrence.

After Deadline broke the news that Rapp was exiting the show in July 2023 amid her Snow Hard Feelings Tour for her debut studio album Snow Angel, series co-creator Justin Noble previously teased that Leighton “definitely still has some lessons and room to grow ahead of her.”