Kelsea Ballerini Praises Haley Lu Richardson’s ‘White Lotus’ Run After Auditioning For Same Part: “Fun Fact”​on May 2, 2025 at 2:50 am

As Kelsea Ballerini flexes her acting muscle, she’s opening up about the rejection she’s faced in Hollywood.

The 5x Grammy-nominated country artist recently praised Haley Lu Richardson‘s performance as Tanya’s (Jennifer Coolidge) assistant Portia in Season 2 of HBO‘s The White Lotus after she auditioned for the same role.

“I have no shame in my game,” Ballerini told People. “I auditioned for the second season of The White Lotus for the role [of] Jennifer Coolidge’s assistant that Haley did.”

She said Richardson played the part “so brilliantly and beautifully,” adding: “But yeah, I did audition for that. Fun fact.”

Set in Sicily, Season 2 of Mike White’s anthology series saw Portia accompany her heiress boss on vacation, where she meets the mysterious Jack (Leo Woodall), while Tanya is swept off her feet by a group of jet-setting gay men with ulterior motives.

The ensemble-driven sophomore season, which aired in 2022, also featured Aubrey Plaza, Theo James, Meghann Fahy, Will Sharpe, F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Beatrice Grannò, Tom Hollander, Sabrina Impacciatore, Michael Imperioli, Simona Tobasco and Jon Gries.

Ballerini previously made her onscreen acting debut on ABC’s Doctor Odyssey, in the Nov. 7, 2024 episode ‘I Always Cry At Weddings’.