Gavin Leatherwood, who plays Nico in The Sex Lives of College Girls, reveals that he won’t return for season 2. The Sex Lives of College Girls, created by Mindy Kaling (The Office, Never Have I Ever) and Justin Noble, focuses on how four college freshmen girls navigate the highs and lows of friendships, relationships, and sex. Season 1 began in November 2021, and season 2 was announced in December, though no release date has been publicized yet.
In The Sex Lives of College Girls season 1, Nico becomes the subject of a conflict between two of the roommates, Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) and Leighton (Renée Rapp). Nico is Leighton’s older brother and Kimberly’s love interest. When Kimberly and Nico start a relationship, Kimberly keeps it a secret from Leighton. But, in season 1 episode 10, it’s revealed that Nico has had a secret long-distance girlfriend all along. He plays an important role in the story, especially in relation to Kimberly. She starts out the season more reserved about sex than some of her roommates, but through her relationship with Nico, she explores her relationship with her sexuality.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Leatherwood states that he’s leaving the role of Nico behind. He says he enjoyed working on the show, but that he’s committing to other projects instead of continuing on with The Sex Lives of College Girls. He’s planning on releasing his own original music, including a new song being released April 8 called “Be My Lover.” Check out his statement below:
It was such an incredible experience. I think Mindy is brilliant and the cast, everyone’s lovely. But with so many amazing opportunities out there, we want to keep spreading our wings and leading ourselves to other projects so that’s the move.
With Leatherwood gone from the cast, Kaling, Noble, and the other writers on the HBO Max Original show will have to adapt the arc of The Sex Lives of College Girls season 2 to make sense without Nico. At the end of season 1, Nico and Kimberly’s relationship is left on a bit of a cliffhanger. It seems like he has real feelings for Kimberly, but it’s unclear if that would lead to a serious relationship between them, considering Nico's secret girlfriend.
Another unresolved plot line involving Nico has to do with his fraternity. He catches Kimberly stealing a stack of test responses from his fraternity, and in order to help her not be expelled, he lets her turn them in to the university administrators - which will certainly get him and his fraternity brothers in trouble. So, perhaps the writers will write Nico off of the show by making him get expelled. Leatherwood’s absence from HBO Max's The Sex Lives of College Girls will also make room for another cast member to join - but only time will tell who that new person will be.
Source: Us Weekly