Spoiler Wanring: Spoilers for The Sex Lives Of College Girls Season 3 follow. Every Reneé Rapp fan officially hates Boston (and it’s not just because of her song). Episode 2 of The Sex Lives Of College Girls Season 3 confirmed that Rapp’s character, Leighton, is leaving Essex College and transferring to MIT in Boston. The school has a better math program, and it doesn’t hurt that Leighton’s girlfriend Alicia (Midori Francis) will be there, too, working for the mayor. Even though it’s sad to see Rapp leave the show, it’s great that she’s getting to live out her dreams and will continue to make music (“I Hate Boston” is a great song, btw). Leighton has had amazing character growth over the show’s past two seasons. It’s a bittersweet end, but Leighton’s storyline led her to this emotional goodbye.
After Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet), Bela (Amrit Kaur), and Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) find out that she’s transferring schools, Leighton says it’s a hard decision that part of her is still unsure about. The scene got super emotional, with Leighton telling the girls that they’re the reason she experienced so much growth at Essex. “I came to Essex thinking that I was going to date men and I would be in Kappa, and I would have done those things, and I would have been miserable,” Leighton says in the episode. “Then I met you three, and it gave me the strength to be myself.” Someone, please pass me the tissues because I’m crying too. Though Leighton was scared of the idea of leaving and being on her own at a new school, she knew it was the right thing to do for herself and her future.
Leighton started college in the closet and was miserable, trying to act like everything was fine. She got a glow-up after coming out and becoming who she was meant to be. In a Nov. 21 interview with TV Insider, the show’s co-creator Justin Noble talked about wanting Leighton’s exit to make sense but still fit the character. “The only way that she would leave is if it was for her best self moving forward,” Noble said. “And the thing that felt interesting to me is Leighton starts our show knowing herself the least of our core group. She comes in pretending to be something she’s not, and over 22 episodes, we’ve watched her not only figure out who she is as a person but own it so confidently.”
Leighton’s storyline, in a way, mirrors Rapp’s personal life. While appearing on Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast in September 2023, Rapp talked about how she initially took the role of Leighton to help bring attention to her music career. But while filming the SLOCG, she developed a love for acting and even met her best friend, Alyah. “It’s been like a really really big catalyst for my music career,” Rapp said on the podcast. Like Leighton, Rapp chose the path that was right for her.
Rapp beautifully showed Leighton’s evolution on screen. We can only hope that, unlike Rapp, Leighton loves Boston.