Why Did Nico Leave The Sex Lives of College Girls? What Happened After Season 1

Nico Murray disappears from The Sex Lives of College Girls because Essex expels him after discovering the academic-cheating system operated by his fraternity, Theta. Kimberly turns the fraternity’s archive of stolen exam material over to the honor board while trying to avoid her own expulsion, and the evidence triggers a wider investigation that removes Nico and several other Theta members from the school. Nico does not become a college dropout for long, however, because Leighton reveals in the Season 2 premiere that their wealthy father makes a large donation to Cornell and secures Nico a place there for the following semester. Behind the scenes, the storyline was created because actor Gavin Leatherwood voluntarily chose not to return for Season 2, saying he wanted to pursue different projects and continue challenging himself as a performer.

Nico’s abrupt disappearance can feel strange to binge-watchers because he is one of Season 1’s most prominent supporting characters. He is simultaneously Kimberly’s main love interest and Leighton’s brother, only to be discussed rather than seen when Season 2 begins. The show does provide a complete explanation, although most of it is delivered very quickly.

What did Nico do to get expelled from Essex?

Nico is implicated in a long-running cheating operation connected to Theta. The fraternity possesses files containing old exams from Essex courses, giving its members access to questions and answers that can be used to gain an unfair academic advantage. Nico knows about the archive and even shows Kimberly how useful the material can be when she begins struggling academically. The situation becomes much more serious after Kimberly actually uses an exam to cheat.

Kimberly is caught and faces possible expulsion under Essex’s honor code. She eventually realizes the Theta archive could prove that the cheating system extends beyond her own violation, so she decides to take the files and give them to the school. Once administrators receive that evidence, an investigation begins. Season 2 confirms that multiple Theta members are expelled as a result, with Nico among the students forced out of Essex.

Related: Do Leighton and Alicia End Up Together in The Sex Lives of College Girls?

Did Kimberly secretly get Nico expelled?

No, and this detail is frequently simplified when Nico’s exit is summarized. Kimberly does take the fraternity’s exam files, but Nico catches her doing it before she turns them over. She explains that she has been caught cheating and hopes providing evidence of Theta’s larger operation might prevent Essex from expelling her. Nico then allows her to take the material because he believes protecting Kimberly from losing her entire college career is worth the consequences.

That means Nico understands that the files may expose his fraternity when Kimberly leaves with them. He does not know exactly how administrators will respond, but he is not blindsided by the fact that Kimberly possesses the evidence. The honor board ultimately allows Kimberly to remain enrolled while revoking her scholarship for her own cheating. The wider investigation then creates the consequences Nico had knowingly risked when he allowed her to take Theta’s archive.

Was Nico still dating Kimberly when he left?

No, their romantic relationship was already effectively over before Nico was expelled. Kimberly spends much of Season 1 believing that the secrecy surrounding their hookups is primarily about avoiding an awkward situation with Leighton, Nico’s sister. She eventually discovers a much uglier reason for Nico’s behavior: he already has a serious girlfriend named Maya. Kimberly learns the truth when Maya appears at Nico’s birthday celebration, revealing that Kimberly has unknowingly been the other woman.

That discovery destroys Kimberly’s idealized view of Nico. His attraction to her appears genuine, but genuine attraction does not excuse the fact that he repeatedly slept with Kimberly without disclosing that he was in another relationship. The cheating scandal later places them in the unusual position of helping one another despite the romantic betrayal. Nico giving Kimberly permission to use the Theta files functions more like a final act of support than the beginning of a reconciliation.

Where does Nico go after Essex expels him?

Nico goes to Cornell, thanks largely to his family’s money and influence. Leighton explains in the Season 2 premiere that the Essex investigation led to Nico and other senior Theta members being removed. Their father then makes a substantial donation to Cornell and obtains a place for Nico beginning the following semester. The Murray family even buys Nico an Audi to make him feel better about the situation, prompting the roommates to become considerably less sympathetic about his supposed hardship.

The joke reinforces what the series had already established about the difference between Nico and Kimberly. Kimberly loses her scholarship and immediately faces the possibility that she cannot afford to continue at Essex, while Nico is expelled and his family’s wealth helps move him into another elite institution. Both suffer consequences from the same cheating scandal, but money dramatically changes how permanent those consequences are. Nico’s disappearance therefore ends up reinforcing Season 2’s larger focus on Kimberly’s financial vulnerability.

Why did Gavin Leatherwood leave the show?

Leatherwood announced in March 2022 that he would not return for Season 2, several months before viewers learned how the writers would explain Nico’s absence. He described his Season 1 experience positively and praised Mindy Kaling, the cast and the production. His explanation was that he wanted to branch out, pursue other opportunities and continue pushing himself into unfamiliar creative territory. He also discussed working on music around the same period.

There is no reliable evidence that Leatherwood was fired or removed because of a conflict with the show’s creators. His public comments describe the departure as his own career decision rather than a disciplinary or creative dispute. Once the production knew Nico would be unavailable, the Season 1 cheating storyline gave the writers an unusually convenient way to remove him without inventing an unrelated event. Expulsion turns something Nico was already involved in into the direct explanation for why he is no longer walking around Essex.

Related: The Sex Lives of College Girls Filming Locations: Where Is Essex College?

Why didn’t the show recast Nico?

The series simply moves Kimberly’s story beyond him instead of treating Nico as indispensable. Although Nico occupies a large amount of Season 1, the emotional center of the show is the four roommates rather than any particular boyfriend. Kimberly enters Season 2 with far more urgent problems, especially the loss of her scholarship and the enormous tuition bill created by the honor-code violation. New relationships can therefore enter her life without requiring another actor to take over Nico’s role.

Showrunner Justin Noble had previously spoken about enjoying a model in which romantic interests can rotate in and out as the college years progress. That approach fits a series about young adults whose relationships often last weeks or months rather than becoming permanent partnerships. Nico’s exit looks unusually sudden because Season 1 gives him so much screen time, but the show never treats Kimberly as though losing him ends her romantic life. Jackson, Canaan and later characters push her story in entirely different directions.

Does Nico ever return to The Sex Lives of College Girls?

No, Nico does not appear again after Season 1. Season 2 explains the Cornell move, but Gavin Leatherwood never reprises the role during Seasons 2 or 3. The series also does not build toward a later Kimberly-Nico reunion, largely because Kimberly’s relationships and priorities evolve considerably after their affair. By the time the show ends, Nico belongs firmly to her freshman-year history.

His absence nevertheless has consequences that continue long after his last appearance. Kimberly’s involvement with Nico leads directly to the cheating incident that costs her scholarship, which then drives one of her largest Season 2 storylines. Nico himself gets an easier escape because his family’s money places him at Cornell, but Kimberly has to remain at Essex and deal with what their choices cost her. That imbalance is ultimately more important than whether Nico returns: he disappears from the campus, while Kimberly spends much longer living with the financial consequences of the same scandal.