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Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood were definitely feuding, but we appreciate this cover-up.

In a rather delayed response, Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood have addressed their reported feud…. umm, like two months after the rumour started.

Following The White Lotus, fans flagged that two of the show's stars — Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins — had quietly unfollowed each other on Instagram.

Considering they play on-screen lovers in the HBO series, this was especially awkward.

But now, long after anyone still wondered about this saga, they've come together to pour cold water over the feud rumour (reminder: it began two months ago) in a new interview with Variety.

The interviewer noted that the chat began with the actors 'embracing for 30 seconds' before they spoke about what actually happened. Super normal way to start!

"There is no feud," Goggins began. "I adore, I love this woman madly, and she is so important to me. This is Goldie Hawn. This is Meg Ryan. She can do anything, and she will. You watch what the next 20 years of her experience will be…

"She is love and I know that I am that to her. We care about each other very deeply."

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Alrighty! So what was that pesky unfollowing all about then, pal?

Goggins said he wanted to "put this to bed," before going on a spiel about how the unfollowing was part of his "creative process".

"When I left Justified… I didn't talk to [Timothy Olyphant] for almost two years," he said. "I've done that with every single thing that I've done."

He continued, "The whole following or unfollowing issue — it's trivial. I'm a grown man... [It was] just a part of me just saying goodbye to this character so that now Aimee and I will be friends for f**king ever."

Wood said that she didn't really care about the unfollowing… or Instagram in general.

"Why is everyone obsessing over Instagram? That is irrelevant. We don't give a shite about Instagram," she said.

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"Eventually, I just started to sit back and watch these people making something out of absolutely nothing."

Goggins went on to explain how filming in Thailand had brought back feelings of grief — he had visited the country shortly after the death of his first wife.

"My catharsis in this experience was different than other people's, because of my history in this place," the actor said, as he got teary-eyed.

"I knew what [Wood and I] had gone through, and I knew how close that we had gotten, and I needed to begin to process saying goodbye to Rick and Chelsea. And I knew that that was going to take a while for me, so I let her know, 'This is what I've gotta do.' And she was extremely supportive about that," Goggins said.

"I needed to just back away from everyone. I haven't spoken to anyone. I couldn't handle it. Judge me or don't. I don't give a f**k what you think. This is my process. Rick means everything to me, and Chelsea means everything to me. And so that's what I needed to do for me to process all of this."

The duo also went on to discuss the fallout from the Saturday Night Live sketch depicting Wood, which mocked the actress' teeth, which she later referred to as 'mean' and 'unfunny'.

A clip of the sketch was shared on Instagram and praised by Goggins in the comments, which only fuelled the rumours of a feud between the co-stars.

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"I've been sharing my thoughts on social media for 14 years, and if I have something to say, I'll say it directly to you. I don't engage with social media maliciously, and I'm not a mean person," he said, later turning to Wood to praise her smile.

"You have the most beautiful smile in the world, you know that."

Goggins deleted the comment soon after posting it and went on to host SNL. Wood said she had no ill will towards his decision to go on the show.

"For f**k's sake, of course Walton should do SNL. That's got nothing to do with me," she said.

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Okay, so what do we reckon about all this?

Look, this could be what happened, but if the answer was so simple — the unfollowing was simply part of Goggins' acting process — then why wouldn't he have offered this explanation earlier?

Especially straight after the finale, when the feud reports were overshadowing any talk of the actual show.

He could have posted to Instagram, or spoke about his decision in any number of post-show interviews, but the story only grew bigger the longer he refused to address it.

Walton's words also don't really explain why he and Wood were not seen interacting at all at the recent Met Gala last month, either. Bit odd, no?

Listen to The Spill's hosts dissect the interview. Post continues after podcast.

There's also a weird power dynamic to this chat that's worth noting.

The interview seems to prioritise Goggins' experience over Wood's: he dominates the Variety story, detailing his experiences with grief and his role, as Wood takes a backseat.

He spoke about how much of a support system the Sex Education actress was for him while filming The White Lotus, and as they reunite, she's seemingly returned to a supporting role as Goggins steps forward as the star of this story.

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That said, it's still rather fun to be let inside the minds of these two celebs as they navigate this PR disaster together.

It's rare that any rumoured celebrity beef plays out in the public sphere like this, and we should count ourselves lucky that Wood and Goggins wanted to do such an interview — even if we are taking their version of the events with a grain of salt.

Watch Mamamia's interview with The White Lotus stars. Post continues after video.


Video via Mamamia.

So how did we even get here — and does Goggins' explanation pass muster off the back of all the drama that's unfolded?

Lucky for you, petty feud rumours are my Roman Empire, so I've dug through absolutely everything that led to this latest Variety chat.

Walton Goggins' wife Nadia Conners weighs in on the affair rumours.

Before the feud rumours between Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou-Wood even gained traction, some White Lotus fans were so convinced by Rick and Chelsea's on-screen chemistry they thought the actors were having a real-life love affair.

The flames were fanned when Goggins gushed about his relationship with Wood back in February.

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"We both became enmeshed in each other the way that Rick and Chelsea are. So I think the world of her," he told People.

Three months later, Goggins' wife, film director Nadia Conners, weighed in on the speculation.

"It's odd to see it, but it's an indication of how much people were invested in the fictional characters," she told Hello!

"I take it as a sign that he's become quite popular," she said.

Some fans have even speculated that the affair rumours were what led to Goggins and Wood's alleged fallout.

walton-goggins-wife-nadia-connersWalton Goggins and his wife Nadia Conners. Image: Getty

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Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood avoid each other at the 2025 Met Gala.

Both Aimee and Walton attended the 2025 Met Gala, but there didn't appear to be any public interactions between The White Lotus co-stars. Bit weird, right?

On the carpet, Wood was asked about Goggins, and more specifically, whether she would appear on his upcoming Saturday Night Live episode.

"I loved working with Walton. It was the best thing ever," Wood told Entertainment Tonight.

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The actress then clarified that she wasn't scheduled to appear on SNL, but stressed that it was not due to any ill will, and that she was excited for Goggins' hosting gig.

But despite both being at the event, there are no images or reports of them interacting directly on the red carpet.

Instead, Wood arrived with another White Lotus co-star, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and the duo spent time with their other co-star, Lisa, at the event.

It seems Goggins wasn't invited to this little reunion pic shared on Schwarzenegger's Instagram.

Lisa, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Aimee Lou Wood enjoying the Met Gala. Image: Instagram/@patrickschwartzenegger.

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Goggins remained solo as he walked the red carpet, only taking a photo with Kerry Washington at the event.

His lack of interaction with his White Lotus co-stars at the Met Gala came just as the actor poured cold water over rumours of a feud with another co-star, Jason Isaacs.

Isaacs posted an image of the two fellas embracing as they boarded the same flight together. We'll come back to Isaacs later!

Walton Goggins and Jason Isaacs take an airport selfie together.Image: Instagram/@therealjasonisaacs.

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Walton Goggins avoids discussing Aimee Lou Wood in an interview.

A month after the White Lotus finale, Goggins was asked directly about the feud rumours in an interview with Ed Potton for The Times.

But as hard as Potton tried to get the actor to discuss where he stood with Wood, he simply would not bite.

"I'm not gonna have that conversation," Goggins told the journalist. "There is no conversation to be had about that." 

The 53-year-old also avoided mentioning Wood when speaking about the Saturday Night Live spoof of The White Lotus.

While the sketch received plenty of backlash for making fun of Aimee Lou Wood's teeth, Goggins praised the performance on social media, calling it "amazing".

Wood, meanwhile, deemed the skit "mean and unfunny".

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"Yes, take the piss for sure — that's what the show is about — but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way," wrote the 31-year-old on Instagram at the time.

SNL later apologised to Wood.

While speaking to The Times, Goggins alluded to deleting his comment about the skit, claiming that his opinion was not tied to Wood's.

"Sharing politics on social media — it's in a vacuum," he said.

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When the journalist broached the subject of the feud rumours again, Goggins' publicist jumped in to redirect the conversation to the actor's new movie.

"Shall we talk about The Uninvited a bit more?" they asked.

The 53-year-old then accused Potton of not being interested in the film.

"Thinly veiled, my friend. The thing you're least interested in," he said.

It was clear the subject was a no-go, but Potton tried his luck one more time before Goggins reached his tether.

"What the f**k, Ed! Come on, buddy. Wow," Walton said.

The interview was reportedly cut short after the reporter's final attempt to discuss the feud.

Shortly after the interview, people noticed Walton and Aimee had refollowed each other on Instagram.

Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins unfollow each other.

Early in the season, the two actors followed and regularly commented on each other's Instagram accounts, and spoke warmly about one another in interviews. In particular, Goggins boasted about his "very, very close" relationship with the Sex Education star.

@apnewsentertainment

While staying at "The White Lotus" was tragic for Rick and Chelsea, Walton Goggins says his relationship with co-star Aimee Lou Wood is a lot less toxic. #waltongoggins #whitelotus #thewhitelotus

♬ original sound - AP Entertainment

So when did the unfollowing happen? It's unclear, but fans noticed a couple of weeks before the season finale aired that, despite both actors continuing to follow other cast members, they had stopped following each other.

Goggins posted multiple tributes to the show and he and Wood's characters, Rick and Chelsea, but notably excluded tagging the actress in these posts. Reddit users also pointed out that Wood's past comments on Goggins' Instagram posts had disappeared, suggesting she may have been blocked by him.

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Then there was the final watch party, which Aimee attended with most of the cast; Walton did not. To be clear, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Natasha Rothwell and Carrie Coon all skipped the event too.

The cast of The White Lotus attend a finale event.The cast of The White Lotus attend a finale event. Image: Getty.

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Wood addressed Walton's absence with The Hollywood Reporter, drawing parallels between the actor and his character. "I was sad that Walton wasn't there because it was something that we did together, but also it's so f**king Rick and Chelsea," she said.

"Of course, Walton had to watch it alone and, of course, I had to watch it in the group because there is so much Aimee in Chelsea and so much Walton in Rick."

Goggins posted a heartfelt tribute to their characters' tragic love story after the finale, thanking Wood for being his partner in bringing it to life — but he didn't tag her.

As the season aired, both actors shared social media posts featuring Fleetwood Mac's song 'Silver Springs': Wood posted an "I love you R & C forever" image on Instagram while Goggins shared an Instagram story using the song.

The song choice raised eyebrows among fans, as it's a tune that has become synonymous with the rumoured romance and messy breakup between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.

For many, the song (and its viral live performance) represent a scorned woman and an unfulfilled love story.

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To be clear, the use of 'Silver Springs' could easily be a nod to their characters' tragic fate, but the use of the same song by both actors only served to heighten speculation.

Then there is a bit of gossip you can take with a grain of salt: last year Goggins posted "Miss you," with two fox emojis on one of Wood's Instagram posts. Back in July 2024, Goggins also commented on his co-star's post, "A natural born [fox emoji] inside and out."

In an HBO Max interview featuring Aimee Lou and Walton, they both said they would be foxes if they were reincarnated.

Wood wore a dress to The White Lotus covered in, ummm…. foxes. Make of that what you will!

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Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins at the premiere.Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins at the premiere. Image: Getty.

Aimee and Walton didn't pose for photos at The White Lotus premiere, but were pictured (albeit a little awkwardly) inside the event.

While fans were convinced there was tension between Goggins and Wood, their public comments remained cordial.

The unfollowing and lack of tags could have been purely coincidental? Or else, something extremely messy had gone down.

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Jason Isaacs hinted at a whole bunch of drama between cast.

Jason Isaacs did an interview in March, which was cast in a different light off the back of the feud rumours.

Isaacs didn't hold back when describing the atmosphere on set. "It was like a cross between summer camp and Lord of the Flies but in a gilded cage. It wasn't a holiday," he told Vulture.

"Some people got very close, there were friendships that were made and friendships that were lost. All the things you would imagine with a group of people unanchored from their home lives on the other side of the world."

He went on to say that the cast made a pact to not share exactly what went down.

"They say in the show, 'What happens in Thailand stays in Thailand', but there's an off-screen White Lotus as well, with fewer deaths but just as much drama," he said.

Jason Isaacs, Sam Nivola, Sarah Catherine Hook and Patrick Schwarzenegger. Jason Isaacs, Sam Nivola, Sarah Catherine Hook and Patrick Schwarzenegger. Image: Getty.

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When pressed to elaborate on what he meant, Jason replied, "Absolutely not. I became very close to some people and less close to others, but we still all had that experience together and there's a certain level of discretion required."

In an interview with The Guardian, Isaacs hinted at a potential romance between two stars and a 'broken' friendship. "It was a theatre camp, but to some extent an open prison camp: you couldn't avoid one other," he said.

"There are tensions and difficulties, I don't know if they spilled from on-screen to off-screen, or if it would have happened anyway. There were alliances that formed and broke, romances that formed and broke, friendships that formed and broke."

Wow. That is a lot of information to digest!

Feature Image: Getty.

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