The executive producer of The White Lotus has issued a scathing insult to the show’s composer who is wrapped up in a bitter feud with creator Mike White.
A war of words was ignited after Cristóbal Tapia de Veer revealed he would not be returning to create the show’s music for season four, just days before the season three finale.
Tapia de Veer’s arrangement for the third installment of the popular social satire show – this time set in Thailand – received mixed reviews from fans with some calling changes to the tune ‘heinous.’
Just days before Sunday’s highly anticipated finale, the 51-year-old Emmy award winner told The New York Times that he had clashed with White, 54, over the comedy drama’s music since the earliest stages of the show.
White hit back at the composer on The Howard Stern Show on Tuesday calling Tapia de Veer’s decision to speak to the media days before the season’s finale episode ‘a b**** move.’
Now, the show’s executive producer, David Bernad, has come to White’s defense, calling the ousted composer a ‘f*****g a*****e.’
‘I’m very defensive of Mike, and I was there, I lived every experience,’ he told The Daily Beast Podcast.
‘[Tapia de Veer’s] a f*****g a*****e to go out in the press and make it all about himself, where there’s a thousand people who have worked really hard to make this show.’
White Lotus executive producer, David Bernad (right), has come out in defense of the show creator Mike White (left) amid his bitter feud with the show’s composer
White Lotus composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer (pictured) revealed he clashed with Mike White and therefore won’t be retuning for season four days before the third season finale
The composer told the New York Times that in response to fans criticisms of the newest theme song, he asked White if they could release a longer version, but claims White told him no and it alleged it was because of their fights.
‘He thought it was a good idea. But then Mike cut that – he wasn’t happy about that,’ Tapia de Veer said.
‘I mean, at that point, we already had our last fight forever, I think. So he was just saying no to anything. So I just uploaded that to my YouTube.’
Reflecting on his time on The White Lotus, Cristóbal added to the publication that he stands by his decision to bow out.
‘I was watching the Emmys, and it’s like, there’s one thing I’m pretty proud of and that is I feel like I never gave up,’ he said.
‘Maybe I was being unprofessional, and for sure, Mike feels that I was always unprofessional to him because I didn’t give him what he wanted. But what I gave him did this, you know — did those Emmys, people going crazy.’
Bernad said Tapid de Veer is ‘an incredibly talented person’ but claimed that he ‘would not listen to us and actually treat(ed) us like we were morons.’
‘Him doing that interview kind of blindsided us to be honest,’ the executive producer said. ‘Anytime you’re taking on a creative venture, there’s creative conversations.
Tapia de Veer’s arrangement for the third installment of the popular social satire show – this time set in Thailand – received mixed reviews from fans
The composer claimed he asked White if they could release a longer version of the theme song, but said White told him no because of their fights
White hit back at the composer on The Howard Stern Show on Tuesday calling Tapia de Veer’s decision to speak to the media days before the season’s finale episode ‘a b**** move’
‘I think what was so surprising for us was that there was nothing interesting that happened in that experience other than us giving notes to a collaborator, which is the process in every creative venture.
‘As someone who kind of was there for every moment of that experience… you kind of read this interview and I’m like, “what the f**k is this guy talking about?”‘
White told Howard Stern this week that he didn’t think the two every really fought, but was thrown when he went to the press and called it ‘b***h move.’
‘I just don’t think he respected me. He, like, wants people to know that he’s edgy and dark and I’m, I don’t know, like, I watch reality TV,’ White said.
‘We never really even fought. I don’t know what – he says we feuded, I don’t think I ever had a fight with him except maybe some emails.’
In response to White’s interview with Stern, Tapia De Veer told BBC News: ‘When Mike learned that I wasn’t coming back for series four, he didn’t handle it in a normal business manner, with a cool head, that is why I went public.
‘Everything that is happening right now is completely unnecessary, I didn’t start this feud and am simply defending myself.’
He went on to add: “Every comment regarding the role of the composer and the music at the Stern show simply proves my point that he doesn’t understand or fully appreciate the importance and the power of the music in The White Lotus.
‘I wasn’t given the trust about musical decisions, which you would imagine come with the success of the score. Which is also why I’m not returning.’
