Nico (Gavin Leatherwood) and Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) in season 1 of 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' on HBO Max

‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ Season 2: Nico’s Exit Explained

Details regarding Gavin Leatherwood's exit from 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' and how they wrote the character out of the show.

by Lauren Anderson

Published on November 17, 2022

2 min read

Gavin Leatherwood stepped away from ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ ahead of season 2

Nico was an important character in the first season of the HBO Max series. Not only was he Leighton’s (Renee Rapp) older brother, but Nico was Kimberly’s (Pauline Chalamet, Timothee’s sister) love interest. Leatherwood decided not to reprise his role in the HBO Max series for season 2 because he wants to pursue other projects.

In March 2022, Leatherwood announced his exit from the show. He had nothing but positive things to say about his colleagues, but expressed his desire to pursue other interests.

“I think life is short, and I think one of the best things about this craft and this industry is that you get to keep stretching into your uncomfortable zone,” he told Us Magazine at the time. “That’s when we grow and learn and become stronger artists. So that’s kind of what I am looking to do is just to continue to get uncomfortable and learn and grow and hone my craft.”

According to IMDb, Leatherwood is slated to appear in Singing in My Sleep. At publication, the project is in post-production.

A season 1 plot line helps explains Nico’s exit from ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ story

In the first season of College Girls, Kimberly discovers Nico’s fraternity holds the key to success in the form of the test answers to every exam at Essex College. Unable to pass on an easy A for her Econ exam, Kimberly lets her feelings for Nico cloud her judgment.

In the end, Kimberly was honest about cheating and had her scholarship revoked, but she never outed Nico or the fraternity. Instead, he was the one who handed over the tests to Kimberly so that she could prevent her expulsion from school.

As revealed in the first episode of season 2, “Winter Is Coming,” Nico was expelled from Essex. “The administration started an investigation and a bunch of Thetas got kicked out,” Leighton explains. “Thankfully, my dad was able to make a big donation to Cornell and got him a spot next semester.” Nico was also gifted an Audi in an attempt to cheer him up.

‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ Season 2 is releasing two episodes at a time

The first two episodes of The Sex Lives of College Girls Season 2 are available on HBO Max starting Nov. 17, including “Winter Is Coming” and “Frat Problems.”

The rest of the season will also be released in batches of two every Thursday. “The Short King and “Will You Be My Girlfriend” will premiere on Nov. 24 and the rest of the episodes will come out as follows: