XO, Kitty Season 3 is officially coming to Netflix on April 2, 2026, and the very first images from the new episodes have already done what Kitty Song Covey does best—created massive romantic confusion. While the official synopsis puts Kitty and Min Ho’s relationship front and center, a single photograph of Kitty holding Yuri’s hand has sent fans into a tailspin, reigniting the shipping war that has divided the fandom since Season 1.
With the show returning for Kitty’s senior year at KISS, the question is no longer just who Kitty ends up with. It is now a debate about whether the writers are listening to fan demand or setting up one final, unexpected twist.
Netflix Confirms April 2 Premiere With Eight New Episodes
XO, Kitty Season 3 will drop all eight 30-minute episodes on Netflix this April 2. The announcement came on February 11, 2026, accompanied by a series of first-look photographs showing Kitty back on campus, spending time with friends, and sharing emotionally charged moments with both Sang Heon Lee’s Min Ho and Gia Kim’s Yuri .
Jenny Han, the creator of both the To All the Boys film franchise and this spinoff series, shared the images on her Instagram with a simple caption: “First look at @xokittynetflix Season 3. Out April 2!” alongside a love letter emoji .
Valentina Garza has taken over as showrunner for the third season. She also serves as executive producer and writer. The season is produced by Paramount Television Studios and ACE Entertainment .
The returning cast includes Anna Cathcart (Kitty Song Covey), Minyeong Choi (Dae), Gia Kim (Yuri), Sang Heon Lee (Min Ho), Anthony Keyvan (Q), Regan Aliyah (Juliana), and Hojo Shin (Jiwon), who has been promoted to series regular. Peter Thurnwald, Joshua Lee, Sasha Bhasin, Michael K. Lee, Philippe Lee, Jocelyn Shelfo, Han Bi Ryu, and Sunny Oh are also returning .
Three new cast members join the ensemble: Sule Thelwell as Marius, Soy Kim as Yisoo, and Christine Heesun Hwang as Gigi .
Official Season 3 Plot: Kitty Finally Commits to Min Ho?
The official logline for XO, Kitty Season 3 makes one thing absolutely clear: Kitty is done playing games with Min Ho.
According to Netflix’s official synopsis, Kitty returns to KISS for her final year with everything perfectly planned. She wants to make meaningful memories with friends, grow closer to her relatives in Korea, and make big decisions about her future. Then comes the sentence that MoonCovey shippers have waited two seasons to read: “And she’s going to define her relationship with Min Ho. For real this time.” .
The synopsis warns that “surprise revelations” will throw her plans—and her relationships—off course. Kitty will have to “learn to embrace the unexpected” .
This direct mention of defining her relationship with Min Ho seemed like confirmation that MoonCovey is endgame. Season 2 ended with Kitty realizing her feelings for Min Ho and asking him to wait for her. She then joined his family on tour. The third season was always expected to pick up from that moment .
But then fans looked closely at the first-look images.
The Photograph That Changed Everything: Kitty and Yuri Hold Hands
Among the batch of first-look photos released by Netflix, one image stands out. It shows Kitty and Yuri sitting closely together, their hands intertwined. The body language is intimate. It is not a casual hand brush or a friendly grab. It is a deliberate, fingers-laced handhold.
The photograph does not include Min Ho. It does not include Juliana, Yuri’s girlfriend. It is just Kitty and Yuri, and it looks romantic.
Fans immediately flooded social media with reactions. One viewer wrote, “That kitty Yuri handhold got me scared. I thought we were doing MoonCovey endgame why are they holding hands like that.”
Another fan posted, “Netflix really dropped a KittYuri handhold photo after telling us Kitty is defining her relationship with Min Ho ‘for real this time.’ The gaslighting is insane.”
KittYuri shippers, who support Kitty and Yuri as a couple, saw the image as proof that the writers have not abandoned the sapphic storyline. MoonCovey shippers, who support Kitty and Min Ho, expressed frustration, accusing the show of deliberately creating confusion to keep both sides engaged.
The debate quickly spread across Twitter, TikTok, and Reddit. Hashtags including #MoonCovey, #KittYuri, and #Kuri began trending within hours of the photo release.
Gia Kim’s 2025 Comments Resurface: “We Don’t Want to Piss Off Too Many People”
The renewed shipping war caused a 2025 interview with Gia Kim to resurface online. In January 2025, Kim spoke with StyleCaster about the likelihood of Kitty and Yuri becoming endgame. Her response was brutally honest .
“Just based on what I see mostly in the comments, I think the Kitty/Min Ho shippers are very dominating. I feel like that’s what the show is gonna give them because we don’t want to piss off too many people.”
“There’s a higher chance of Kitty/Min Ho shippers getting what they want than Kitty/Yuri shippers I would say. But I don’t know, I’m not a writer, so who knows?” .
At the time, those comments caused an uproar among KittYuri supporters. Many accused the show of prioritizing “fan service” over authentic storytelling and queer representation. Some fans called the writing “anti-art” and demanded the network “bring back writers with spine” .
Now, with the handhold photograph circulating, KittYuri shippers argue that the show may have changed direction. They point out that Kim explicitly said she was not a writer and did not know the final plan. They also note that public pressure and representation discussions could have influenced the creative team during the writing and filming of Season 3.
MoonCovey supporters, however, see the photograph as a deliberate misdirection. They argue that the official synopsis explicitly states Kitty will define her relationship with Min Ho. They believe the Yuri moment is either platonic or part of the “surprise revelations” that temporarily throw Kitty off course before she ultimately chooses Min Ho.
What the First Look Images Actually Show
The first-look photo package includes several images beyond the Kitty-Yuri handhold.
One photograph shows Kitty and Min Ho standing under a cherry blossom tree, staring into each other’s eyes. The framing is undeniably romantic. Jenny Han used this specific image as the first slide in her Instagram announcement .
Other images show group shots of the friend circle at KISS, Kitty riding a rollercoaster, and individual portraits of Min Ho, Dae, and Juliana. There are no photographs of Yuri with her girlfriend, Juliana. There are no photographs of Min Ho with any other love interest .
The absence of Juliana-Yuri content combined with the presence of a Kitty-Yuri handhold is what concerns MoonCovey supporters. They fear the show is setting up a love triangle that many thought was resolved when Kitty chose Min Ho at the end of Season 2.
The Core of the Debate: Fan Service vs. Artistic Integrity
The XO, Kitty shipping war is not just about which couple is cuter. It has become a larger conversation about how streaming shows handle romance, representation, and audience expectations.
XO, Kitty made history by featuring Kitty’s journey of discovering her bisexuality. Her connection with Yuri in Season 1 was genuine and emotionally resonant. Many queer viewers saw themselves in Kitty’s confusion and her slow realization that she could have feelings for a girl. When Season 2 shifted focus to Min Ho, those viewers felt erased .
Gia Kim’s 2025 interview confirmed what many suspected: the show’s direction was influenced by the overwhelming popularity of the MoonCovey ship on social media. Kit Yuri shippers were vocal, but MoonCovey shippers were louder and more numerous .
This is why the Season 3 first look is so contentious. If the handhold is real and leads to a genuine KittYuri storyline, MoonCovey shippers will accuse the show of queer-baiting and changing course last minute to appease a smaller but louder vocal minority.
If the handhold is a red herring and Kitty ends up with Min Ho, KittYuri shippers will argue that the show used queer imagery to generate buzz without delivering meaningful representation.
Cast and Crew Remain Silent
As of February 12, 2026, neither Netflix, Jenny Han, Valentina Garza, nor any cast members have addressed the shipping war or explained the context of the Kitty-Yuri photograph.
Anna Cathcart has not posted about the Season 3 announcement on her personal social media accounts. Sang Heon Lee and Gia Kim have also remained silent.
This silence is unusual. In previous seasons, cast members engaged with fans, shared behind-the-scenes content, and acknowledged shipping communities. The current radio silence suggests the creative team is either aware of the intense debate and choosing to let the show speak for itself, or they are contractually prohibited from revealing anything that might spoil the season.
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What to Expect When Season 3 Arrives
XO, Kitty Season 3 will premiere on Netflix on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The season consists of eight episodes, each approximately 30 minutes long. It will be available for streaming globally in all Netflix territories, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and India .
The show continues to be a Paramount Television Studios production. Valentina Garza serves as showrunner, writer, and executive producer. Jenny Han, Matt Kaplan, and Bradley Gardner also executive produce .
The season follows Kitty through her senior and final year at KISS. She will balance her academic future, her newly discovered Korean family connections, and her complicated romantic life. The official synopsis confirms that Min Ho is her primary romantic focus, but the first-look images confirm that Yuri remains in the picture.
Fans will have to wait until April 2 to learn whether the handhold is the beginning of a new love story or the final chapter of an old one.
Stay connected to VvipTimes for continuous coverage of XO, Kitty, Jenny Han’s universe, and all the major streaming announcements as they break.
