After appearing on the cast of 2018’s “Survivor: David vs. Goliath,” celebrity castaway Mike White adapted his experience on the island to create HBO’s Emmy-winning anthology drama “The White Lotus” in 2020.
Given the series’ “Survivor” inspiration, it was no surprise that White invited several of his “David vs. Goliath” co-stars – including Christian Hubicki, Angelina Keely, Alec Marino, Natalie Cole and more – to cameo on the show during its first three seasons.
As White makes his shocking return to “Survivor” for the franchise’s milestone 50th season, however, the screenwriter has made it clear that any castaways vying for an appearance on “The White Lotus” will be blocked.
But what about his close personal friend and longtime “Survivor” host Jeff Probst?
While Probst argued in an August 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that “Mike [White] should never put me on ‘White Lotus,’” the host has seemingly changed his tune, revealing during an appearance on “The Sherri Show” that he’s already thought about what kind of character he’d want to play on the smash HBO hit.
Jeff Probst Wants to Play ‘Really Dark’ Character on ‘The White Lotus’
GettySpeaking with the talk show’s host Sherri Shepherd, Probst addressed whether or not he thinks the cast of “Survivor 50” will “go easy” on Mike White in hopes of landing a cameo on “The White Lotus.”
“You know, I don’t know, but I know what you’re saying,” Probst replied. “Mike probably went in thinking one of two things. Either, somebody’s gonna keep me around because they hope I’ll put them on my show, or, somebody’s gonna have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder and think, ‘He’s never gonna put me on the show, so I’m gonna just try to take him out.’ So, Mike came in with targets [on his back] in different ways.”
Sherri then pivoted the conversation, asking Probst, “If Mike put you on ‘White Lotus,’ have you ever thought about what type of character you’d be?”
“I wanna be really, really, really dark,” Jeff revealed.
The executive producer elaborated, telling Shepherd, “I mean, Mike White writes incredible characters. I don’t wanna come on and be, like, a guy at a bar getting a drink. I wanna come on as a guy at a bar with a drink who’s got a story…something [like] a seasoned guy who life didn’t go well for. A could-have been ‘this,’ but ended up ‘this.’”
Probst Praises Mike White for Inviting ‘Survivor’ Co-Stars to Join ‘White Lotus’
CBSWhile the statement is a far cry from Probst’s 2025 comments about “never” cameoing on “White Lotus,” the host praised Mike for offering the roles to his “Survivor” co-stars.
“I really love the cameos and how he uses people,” Probst told THR last year. “And I think that, too, speaks to Mike as a person. He’s able to be one of the Hollywood elites, in terms of show creators, but he’s also able to do the show with people who are not from Hollywood, and then invite them into his world and say, ‘Why don’t you come experience what it’s like to be on the set of ‘White Lotus’ for a day?’ and, ‘I’m going to put you in the seat.’ That’s incredible confidence and incredible generosity of spirit.”
Filming for Season 4 of “The White Lotus” is currently underway in France, though no word yet on whether or not any “Survivor” stars will be making an appearance in the latest installment.
Until we know more, be sure to catch Mike White on “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” every Wednesday night at 8:00pm ET on CBS. In the meantime, check out Jeff Probst’s full “The Sherri Show” interview below!
