Sorry ‘White Lotus’ Fans, Michelle Monaghan Doesn't Buy That Monkey Theory

If you were convinced that the monkeys in White Lotus are the killers of season 3, I have some terribly sad news. In a new interview, star Michelle Monaghan shot down the monkey White Lotus theory pretty definitively, suggesting that these adorable, little primates have been falsely accused.

Michelle, who plays TV actress Jaclyn this season, seemed taken aback when asked about the monkey fan theory in an interview with InStyle. “What?!” she said. “What? The monkeys do the shooting? Man, y'all have lost it,” she said. “Spoiler alert, like, sorry, the monkeys don't do the shooting.” Okay, so as far as denials go, it's a little extra—that's exactly what she would say if it was the monkeys!—but I'm inclined to believe her.

To be fair, the theory that the monkeys are the shooters in The White Lotus has always been a bit far-fetched. What are the odds the monkeys, who ran away when the shooting started at the top of the season's first episode, would get a hold of a gun and start shooting indiscriminately? This idea has always seemed like more of a “wouldn't it be funny if” theory than a serious thematic proposition that would fit into the season. Either that, or it's used as a retort to fans who are busy dissecting each and every scene for clues.

The only way the theory makes sense is if a monkey gets a hold of a gun, accidentally sets it off, and the hotel security mistakes whoever is closes to the monkey for an active shooter, causing a shootout that results in the death of the unfortunate soul closest to the animal. That's the kind of wrong place/wrong time tragedy that I could see The White Lotus dabble in.

Michelle didn't say anything else on fan theories, but she did tease the finale. “Super emotional, unexpected, and rewarding. But not in the way that you think it's rewarding, but you'll be satisfied,” she told InStyle when asked to describe the finale in three words. “The audience will be satisfied.”

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