Here’s How “The White Lotus” Had An Effect On Jennifer Coolidge’s Dating Life, Even Though She Plays “A Complete Weirdo”

After Joking That She Slept With 200 People Thanks To “American Pie,” Jennifer Coolidge Got Real About How “The White Lotus” Also Helped Her Dating Life“That show really upped my game!”

Season 3 of The White Lotus has everyone talking — but there’s definitely one familiar face that fans have been missing this time around.

If you didn’t watch the first two seasons of the hit HBO show, you would have missed the absolute wild ride that was Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya McQuoid. Jen bagged two Emmys and a Golden Globe for her incredible performance, while her iconic line, “These gays are trying to murder me!” quickly became a viral meme.

And (spoiler) while Tanya may no longer be with us, Jennifer’s impact on The White Lotus is unmistakable. And so, it seems, is the impact of The White Lotus on Jennifer herself — specifically, on her love life.

In the past, Jennifer has spoken about how her acting career has given her success in her dating life, particularly her iconic role as Stifler’s mom in the American Pie movies. In a 2022 interview with Variety, she revealed that there were “so many benefits” to being in the franchise. “You know, I got a lot of play from being a MILF. I got a lot of sexual action from American Pie,” she explained before joking that there would have been “like 200 people” she never would have slept with if it weren’t for that role. An icon.

And in a new interview with The Times, Jennifer revealed that while things have changed, they’ve changed for the better. After noting the aforementioned “benefits” from American Pie, Jennifer said, “They might be over now, but once in a while you still get a Stifler’s Mom thing.” However, since The White Lotus, Jennifer says that playing Tanya has worked wonders.

“Even though I play a complete weirdo in White Lotus, cute guys come up to me. And this is far better than American Pie because people were really sad about Tanya falling off a boat,” she explained. “These men like you better because they feel that you went through something. That show really upped my game!”

Jennifer then went on to clarify what she meant, mentioning an incident in New Orleans. “I had a guy come up to me,” she said. “It was a few years ago and he had a T-shirt on that his belly came out of, plus red cowboy boots. He was 4ft 11in and he said, ‘Would you like to go out?’ And, well, there was nothing wrong with him, but you have this idea that Brad Pitt or whoever will sweep you off your feet,” she explained. “And White Lotus changed that for me. It’s not just that little guy anymore.”

Jennifer also spoke about the career slump she experienced before The White Lotus and how her dating life played a part in it. Speaking about the reasons why she felt she wasn’t able to fully grasp her career, she said she “sabotaged” herself by being fixated on a man. “I wanted this guy that I was obsessed with. I wanted him to like me, so I went completely off track. I wasted a lot of time, and that moment passes. And God, if I could live my life over again, I wouldn’t have done what I did,” she continued.

But thanks to The White Lotus, it looks like Jennifer’s on the up and up. In her acceptance speech at the 2023 Golden Globes, she mentioned how her role as Tanya has also made a significant change to her social life. “My neighbors are speaking to me,” she revealed onstage. “I mean it! I was never invited to one party on my hill, and now everyone’s inviting me!”

Jennifer Coolidge, I will be doing everything in my power to make sure you get invited to every party ever thrown for the rest of time. You’re welcome at all of mine. Anyway, you can read the rest of the interview here, and be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below.