The White Lotus star Michelle Monaghan debunks popular fan theory ahead of show's highly-anticipated finale

Set in Thailand, millions of viewers have been enthralled by the rising tension of season three of the hit Mike White-penned HBO show. The very first scene of the season saw a mysterious gunman seemingly on a rampage throughout the Thai White Lotus resort with Zion, Belinda’s son, coming across an unidentified body in the water.

Fans have been left all season wondering both who is in the water and who launched the gun attack on patrons at the hotel. We’ve seen many storylines ramp up over the past seven episodes of season three, including Tim Ratcliff’s worsening mental state amid a financial scandal and spa therapist Belinda’s run-in with Greg.

As a result, fan theories have been spreading online, with fans keen to guess what twists Mike White could have in store. But now star Michelle Monaghan has debunked one bizarre theory that sparked the imagination of viewers.

Shots throughout the series so far have shown monkeys in the trees surrounding the luxury resort, with some fans thinking that the primate could get their hands on one of the guns we’ve seen in the series so far

Monaghan, who plays Jaclyn on the show, said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live: “You know, I’ve just got to debunk a theory out here. Guys, the monkeys did not do it! People have gone apes**t thinking that."

While she didn’t let slip on what to expect from the finale, she said that fans will not see the events of the final episode coming. She said: "I found out when all eight scripts were delivered into my inbox.

"I was on a plane, on a 15-hour flight, and I read all of them – [they were] just such page-turners, of course, just like the show. I was just as shocked at the end as everybody else will be shocked watching it. You have no idea – it's the brilliance of Mike White. You have no idea what's coming, it's crazy."

The White Lotus season three episode seven is available to watch on NOW TV and will live at 9pm on Sky Atlantic. The show’s finale episode will be available on NOW TV on April 7 and will air at 9pm on Sky Atlantic the same day.