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Duke University said “The White Lotus,” the hit series on HBO, went “too far” with how its iconic royal-blue logo was featured in a recent episode, according to Bloomberg.
The school issued a statement and said that the show uses their logo without permission in “troubling” imagery, which has since spread across social media and paints their brand in a negative light.
Duke was referring to episode five of “The White Lotus,” released on March 16, that showed (spoilers ahead) Timothy Ratliff, played by actor Jason Isaac, contemplating suicide while wearing a t-shirt with the Duke lettering on it.
A now-viral meme of Ratliff, whose character in the dark comedy is a proud Duke alumni, holding a gun to his temple is being used to put added pressure on Duke as the Blue Devils’ men’s and women’s basketball teams are about to play in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament this week.
“White Lotus just blessed us w an all-time meme if Duke loses early in the tournament (and for any brutal Duke loss thereafter),” someone wrote, including the meme, on X.
“My cousin who is a die hard Tar Heel fan is specifically waiting to use this at some point this tournament,” another added, referring to Duke’s main rival, North Carolina.
The No. 1 seeded Duke men’s team will face Arizona, the fourth seed, on Thursday night.
The women, a No. 2 seed, take on the rival North Carolina Tar Heels, the No. 3 seed, on Friday.
“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 vice president for communications, marketing and public affairs, said as part of a statement.
“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 the show’s third season, which takes place at a luxury hotel in Thailand where the family is vacationing, Ratliff contemplates suicide because he is implicated in a money-laundering scheme and is being investigated by the FBI.
“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 said.
Bloomberg did not disclose if Duke had taken action against Warner Bros., which owns HBO.
Ratliff’s wife, Victoria Ratliff (played by actress Parker Posey), is an overly proud North Carolina alumna and their son Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) is a recent Duke graduate. Their daughter (Sarah Catherine Hook) attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“The White Lotus” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.
