Reneé Rapp is raising some eyebrows with certain lyrics in her latest single that appear to reference her time on Sex Lives With College Girls.
Rapp, 25, surprised fans with the release of “Leave Me Alone” on Wednesday, May 21, the first song from her upcoming record, Bite Me. Listeners have speculated that the song’s second verse is a pointed shot at the entertainment industry as a whole — including Rapp’s past role as Leighton on Sex Lives With College Girls since the show was canceled after she left the series.
“My manager called me, said ‘Where’s the single?’ / Leave me alone, bitch, I wanna have fun / Oh, you’re breaking up, babe? I don’t got no signal,” Rapp sings. “Sign a hundred NDAs but I still say something / Leave me alone, bitch, I wanna have fun / I took my sex life with me, now the show ain’t f***ing.”
Rapp even went as far as to flip off the camera with two middle fingers in the “Leave Me Alone” music video, which was also released on Wednesday.
Fans have since related to the lyric on social media while also praising the catchy tune.
“Reneé Rapp ur not real,” one listener shared via X, while another added that they were “so ready for summer” with Rapp’s new music coming soon. (Bite Me will be released on Friday, August 1.)
As for the Sex Lives of College Girls shade — Rapp has quite the history with the show, which debuted on HBO Max in November 2021. The singer played Leighton for two seasons, announcing her departure from the show in July 2023. (The show was canceled in March after three seasons.)
“College Girls moved me out to LA and introduced me to some of my favorite people. 2 and a half years later — it’s give me y’all and this community,” Rapp shared via Instagram at the time, thanking the show’s creators, including Mindy Kaling. “A lot of queer works gets belittled — but playing Leighton has changed my life.”
She added, “I love who I am 10x more than I did before knowing her. I hope she gave y’all a little bit of that too. She’s such a tiny part of the representation but even the tiny parts count. I wouldn’t be half the person I am without her and y’all. I’m so excited for this season and I can’t wait for you to see what we have coming for her and the girls.”
Rapp briefly appeared in the first two episodes of season 3, which premiered in November 2024, before her character ultimately transferred to another college. Gracie Lawrence joined the show as Kacey following Rapp’s absence. However, Lawrence made it clear she was not “replacing” Rapp on the show.
“I think Kacey’s very different,” Lawrence, 27, told Us Weekly exclusively in December 2024. “Leighton is a beloved iconic character. I don’t think anyone — from the creators of the show to any of the actors — would want to step on the toes of that.”
