**XO, Kitty Season 3 Opens with a Shock: Kitty Expelled from KISS Academy Over Undisclosed Love Scandal, Igniting Fan Frenzy on Twitter and Reddit**
*XO, Kitty*, the vibrant *To All the Boys* spin-off, has kept fans hooked with its whirlwind of romance and drama at the Korean Independent School of Seoul (KISS). Led by Anna Cathcart as the lovably chaotic Kitty Song Covey, the series has thrived on tangled love triangles and heartfelt coming-of-age moments. When Season 3 premiered on July 17, 2026, the opening episode dropped a bombshell: Kitty is expelled from KISS due to a mysterious love scandal, sending Twitter and Reddit into a tailspin of shock, theories, and impassioned debates. The revelation has upended expectations and set the stage for Kitty’s most turbulent chapter yet. Here’s how it happened, what fans are saying, and what this means for the show’s future.
A Scandal Rocks KISS
Season 2, which dropped in January 2025, ended on a high note with Kitty accepting Min Ho’s (Sang Heon Lee) invitation to join his family’s summer tour, hinting at a slow-burn romance after two seasons of will-they-won’t-they tension. Fans expected Season 3 to pick up with sun-soaked adventures and “lots of kissing,” as promised by showrunner Jessica O’Toole. Instead, the premiere, titled “Kicked Out of KISS,” hits the ground running with a gut-punch. Within the first 10 minutes, Kitty is called to the headmaster’s office and informed she’s been expelled, effective immediately, for violating KISS’s strict code of conduct. The reason? An “undisclosed love scandal” that the school refuses to detail publicly, citing privacy concerns.
The episode unfolds in fragmented flashbacks, showing Kitty’s summer with Min Ho spiraling into chaos. A paparazzi photo, leaked to Seoul’s tabloids, captures Kitty in a compromising moment—though the other person’s identity is blurred, fueling speculation. Whispers among KISS students point to a forbidden romance that “crossed lines,” with some accusing Kitty of betraying a friend. The lack of specifics drives the drama, as Kitty pleads her case to Professor Finnerty (Peter Thurnwald), only to be told the decision is final. By the episode’s end, she’s packing her bags, leaving fans reeling as the credits roll over a haunting cover of “Seoul” by RM.
### Why the Expulsion Hits Hard
Kitty’s expulsion is a seismic shift for *XO, Kitty*, echoing her Season 1 brush with ejection but with higher stakes. Back then, she was nearly sent home for sneaking into the boys’ dorms, a minor infraction tied to her quest to understand her late mother’s past. This time, the “love scandal” feels personal and murky, threatening her reputation and relationships. The vagueness of the scandal—deliberately withheld by writers, per a Tudum interview with O’Toole—amplifies its impact, leaving viewers to piece together clues. Was it a kiss with Min Ho that sparked jealousy? A rekindled spark with Yuri (Gia Kim), despite her Season 2 breakup? Or a new player, like Praveena (Sasha Bhasin), stirring the pot?
The emotional weight lands heavily because KISS is Kitty’s anchor. It’s where she’s explored her Korean heritage, come out as bisexual, and built a chosen family with Q (Anthony Keyvan) and others. Losing it feels like losing her mother’s legacy, a theme O’Toole hinted would dominate Season 3. Cathcart’s performance, oscillating between defiance and devastation, sells the moment. In one scene, Kitty mutters, “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” her voice cracking, a line that became a Twitter soundbite within hours. For fans, it’s a callback to Season 1’s raw vulnerability, when Kitty arrived in Seoul naive but determined, only now she’s facing adult consequences.
### Social Media Erupts
The premiere’s shock value sent fans sprinting to Twitter and Reddit, where #XOKittyS3 and #KittyExpelled trended globally, racking up 1.5 million posts by midnight on July 17, per social media analytics. Twitter was a mosaic of crying emojis, Min Ho fancams, and conspiracy threads. User @KISSChaos tweeted, “Kitty EXPELLED for a love scandal?! My girl’s too chaotic for her own good, but WHO betrayed her? I’m suing Netflix!” with 12,000 retweets. Memes of Cathcart’s wide-eyed stare captioned “When you get expelled but don’t know why” flooded timelines, blending humor with heartbreak.
Reddit’s r/XOKitty became a detective hub, with threads like “S3E1 Scandal Theories” amassing 6,000 upvotes. Users dissected the paparazzi photo, noting a blurry bracelet that resembles Yuri’s, sparking “Kitty-Yuri affair” speculation. Others pointed to Min Ho’s summer tour, theorizing a public hookup gone viral, especially since his K-pop star status draws media scrutiny. U/SeoulSleuth wrote, “The scandal’s gotta involve Stella [Audrey Huynh]. She schemed against Min Ho in S2—bet she leaked the photo for revenge.” A minority argued the scandal might be a red herring, with KISS using it to cover financial troubles, a nod to Season 2’s budget cuts.
The emotional fallout dominated both platforms. Twitter user @CoveyCrush posted a clip of Kitty’s tearful packing scene, writing, “This hurts worse than the S1 Dae breakup. She doesn’t deserve this!” Reddit’s u/DramaQueenKitty echoed, “Seeing Kitty lose KISS after everything—her mom, her identity—it’s like S1’s hope got crushed. I’m wrecked.” The fandom’s love for Kitty’s messiness clashed with protective outrage, as many rallied around her underdog spirit, demanding justice by Season 3’s end.
### The Scandal’s Ripple Effect
The expulsion reshapes Kitty’s arc and the show’s dynamics. With KISS off-limits, Episode 1 sees her crashing at her cousin Jiwon’s Seoul apartment, setting up a fish-out-of-water vibe as she navigates the city without her school’s safety net. The summer episode, teased by O’Toole as a first for the series, feels bittersweet now, with Kitty’s freedom tainted by disgrace. Her friendships strain—Q tries to mediate, but Dae (Choi Min-young) is distant, possibly hurt by the scandal’s fallout. Min Ho, filming a drama in Busan, sends cryptic texts, leaving fans wondering if their tour fling imploded.
The “love scandal” also reignites debates about Kitty’s bisexuality, a cornerstone of her Season 2 growth. After dating Praveena and kissing Yuri, only to end up single, fans hoped Season 3 would clarify her heart—especially with Min Ho as a frontrunner. The scandal complicates this, with Reddit users split on whether it’s a queer romance gone wrong or a Min Ho-related misstep. Twitter’s @BiKittyStan pleaded, “Let Kitty’s love life breathe! Scandal or not, she deserves to figure herself out.” O’Toole’s promise of “kissing, lots of kissing” now feels ironic, as romance takes a backseat to Kitty’s fight to clear her name.
### Behind the Scenes and Fan Theories
The decision to kick off with expulsion was bold, reflecting O’Toole and creator Jenny Han’s knack for subverting teen-drama tropes. In a July 2026 Variety interview, O’Toole said, “We wanted Kitty to face a real consequence, something that tests her resilience but also her truth.” The scandal’s ambiguity was intentional, designed to mirror real-life gossip storms where facts blur. Cathcart, speaking to Elle, admitted filming the expulsion scene was “heavy,” as she channeled Kitty’s fear of losing her mother’s dream. The cast, including Lee and Kim, stayed mum on spoilers, but Lee’s Instagram post of a broken heart emoji fueled Min Ho-Kitty breakup theories.
Fans aren’t buying KISS’s story at face value. A Reddit thread titled “Scandal Cover-Up?” suggests the school framed Kitty to dodge bad PR, possibly tied to a teacher-student scandal hinted at in Season 2. Twitter’s @MinHoMystery floated a wild card: Noah Centineo’s Peter Kavinsky, who cameoed in Season 2, returning as a family friend who helps Kitty investigate. Others believe Yuri’s powerful family, led by Principal Han (Yunjin Kim), orchestrated the expulsion to protect their daughter’s reputation. The theories, while unconfirmed, showcase the fandom’s obsession with untangling Kitty’s mess.
### What’s Next for Season 3
The expulsion sets a high-stakes tone for the eight-episode season. Kitty’s mission to uncover the scandal’s truth drives the plot, with Episode 2 teasing a confrontation with Stella, whose Season 2 scheming makes her a prime suspect. New characters, like a street-smart hacker played by newcomer Ji-soo Park, hint at Kitty building an outside-KISS crew. The summer setting—Seoul’s neon nights, beach trips—contrasts the drama, per Tudum, but Kitty’s ban from KISS limits her access to Min Ho and Yuri, forcing virtual check-ins that test their bonds.
Romance, though sidelined, simmers. The teaser showed a fleeting Min Ho-Kitty hug, but their tour fallout suggests trust issues. Yuri’s arc, post-Juliana breakup, could loop her back to Kitty, especially if the scandal involves their past kiss. Q and Florian’s relationship, a Season 2 highlight, faces pressure as Q supports Kitty, potentially unearthing his own secrets. The season’s promise of “adventure” points to Kitty digging into her mother’s KISS history, possibly linking the scandal to a long-buried secret.
### The Bigger Picture
*XO, Kitty* Season 3’s opener reflects the show’s evolution from bubbly rom-com to a sharper exploration of identity and consequences. Kitty’s expulsion, while divisive, grounds her chaos-queen persona in real stakes, a move fans compare to *Gossip Girl*’s bolder seasons. Social media’s reaction—1.8 million posts by July 18, per analytics—proves the show’s grip, with viewership projected to top Season 2’s 14.2 million first-week views. Netflix’s investment, greenlighting Season 3 before Season 2 aired, paid off, as the scandal has reignited buzz.
For fans, the heartbreak is personal. Kitty’s journey—her queerness, her heritage, her knack for trouble—mirrors their own messy teens. Twitter’s @SeoulSong posted, “Kitty’s fighting for her place, just like I did at 17. This season’s gonna hit different.” Reddit’s u/KISSRebel summed it up: “Expelled or not, Kitty’s still our queen. Let’s ride this scandal to the end.” As Season 3 unfolds, one thing’s clear: Kitty Song Covey’s heart is in Seoul, and no scandal can keep her down for long.