Why is Reneé Rapp leaving 'The Sex Lives of College Girls'? And what does it mean for the series?

The Essex campus will look a lot different without Leighton Murray, played by Reneé Rapp. The actor revealed on Monday, July 10 that she's exiting The Sex Lives of College Girls season 3, which has left fans concerned about the show's fate. 

Considering Never Have I Ever season 4 *just* ended the lovable Devi Vishwakumar's high school journey, viewers are not quite ready to part ways with another one of Mindy Kaling's coming-of-age series. Why is the ring leader of the collegiate clique bowing out, and should we be worried? Here's what's going on.

Why is Reneé Rapp leaving 'The Sex Lives of College Girls'? 

There's no bad blood or reason to panic, Reneé Rapp is leaving The Sex Lives of College Girls to pursue her music career. In a sentimental Twitter statement, she revealed the importance of her character and how Leighton changed the game for her career.

"A lot of queer work gets belittled — but playing Leighton has changed my life. 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," part of the message read. 

When it came to acting, Rapp always saw it as a way to fund her music career, something she was candid about when speaking to Variety. She said, "[I thought], I can do music on the side, like, I can just hustle. And now I’ve just kept acting, because it keeps supporting the music…Acting was my way into tricking everyone that I warranted attention, so that I could have this interview with you."

Now that the roles are shifting, she is gearing up for the release of her first album, Snow Angel on Friday, August 18. We can get a sneak peek of what's ahead when she drops her first single "Talk Too Much" on Wednesday, July 12. In addition to an album, she'll be taking on the role of villainess Regina George in the Mean Girls movie musical. Essentially, she's trading in the books for a microphone. 

Will Reneé Rapp appear in 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' season 3?

You don't have to write off the character of Leighton yet, folks. 

Rapp will star in a handful of episodes during the third season, but she will not be a regular character alongside her peers, Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur and Alyah Chanelle Scott. The O.G. quartet might look a little different going forward, but we're pleased to know we don't have to make a complete break with Leighton yet.

Is 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' coming to an end?

The show's creators, Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, have not said anything about the series coming to an end, but Kaling did take to Instagram Stories to wish Rapp well.

"We love @reneerapp so much and of course will be so sad to say goodbye to Leighton Murray! But we can’t wait to see our friend on tour!!" she wrote.

Like any true college stories go, people transfer and some friendships come to an end. Luckily, Leighton's not a student we'll soon forget. If you're feeling a little nostalgic for your campus, check out shows like The Sex Lives of College Girls. 

Check out 'Snow Angel' by Reneé Rapp:

Though we have some time before Snow Angel drops, have a listen to a few of Rapp's singles, including "Snow Angel." We're definitely getting ethereal Billie Eilish/Lana Del Rey vibes, don't you think?