Lindsay Lohan's return to the spotlight has mostly been tethered to television, from co-starring in the UK comedy Sick Note to her short-lived MTV series Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club to being a panelist on The Masked Singer Australia. Lohan was set for what would have been her first TV role in 2020 with an appearance in the binge-worthy Hulu comedy Ramy for its second season. Only that didn't happen, because...she apparently just kinda bailed on it without telling anyone. So they recast with a former porn star, obviously.
Ramy creator and Emmy winner Ramy Youssef explained that the creative team had set up a very specific role in mind, with Lindsay Lohan having officially signed on to take it. But it just wasn't meant to be, for whatever reason. Here's how he put it to E! News:
We had an idea that it wasn't just her, but we were interested in this idea of people that you don't really think are Muslim. We actually cast Lindsay Lohan, because Lindsay had this whole thing about converting to Islam. And so we had cast Lindsay and I talked to her and she was down, and then, you know, like Lindsay does, we just kind of stopped hearing from her. I was trying to get ahold of her and she was on the call sheet, and I guess she couldn't make it. I don't know, I never heard from her.
An office pool could presumably get formed that centered squarely on guessing the hot-mess reason for Lindsey Lohan's absolute radio silence regarding Ramy Season 2. (Feel free to voice those predictions in the comments, because why not?) As far as why Ramy Youssef had the actress in mind in the first place, it was back in 2016 or so, Lohan started expressing more interest in Islamic teachings after traveling to Turkey to visit with Syrian refugees.
On the flip side, it would be equally interesting to the details behind how Ramy's team landed on former adult film actress Mia Khalifa when recasting the character, who could be seen briefly in the first Season 2 trailer.
For anyone familiar with Mia Khalifa's hugely popular, though surprisingly short, stint in the adult film industry it would also be interesting to hear her story about why she took the role. Back in 2014, Khalifa quite famously became one of the biggest names on Pornhub with just three months' worth of content. However, she also received death threats and much ire from many in the Middle East after she'd donned an Islamic hajib in one of her videos. Perhaps Ramy would be a way of reconciling how she has portrayed the Muslim faith in the entertainment realm, or perhaps it's something else altogether.
Despite the snafu over the Season 2 guest spot, Ramy Youssef isn't holding any grudges against Lindsay Lohan, and even said she is "one of my favorite Muslims." If I were her, though, I wouldn't be waiting on a phone call for any cameos in Season 3.
Check out the full Season 2 trailer for Ramy below.
Ramy Season 2 will debut on Hulu on Friday, May 29, at 3:01 a.m. ET. Season 1 is currently available to stream to all customers. Meanwhile, Lindsay Lohan is apparently involved with whatever Parent Trap announcement the film's director Nancy Meyers recently started teasing on social media; it won't be a sequel, so don't get your hopes up. Now check out everything coming to Hulu in the month of June!
