Euphoria Drama: Feuds and Season Three Insights

After a four-year wait is finally back, with fans set to discover the fates of the East Highland High School students when the season three premiere airs on Sunday.

The series stars  as Rue Bennett, a troubled drug addict who is struggling to get sober and adjust to her relationships after rehab. 

, , , and Alexa Demie are among the supporting cast, with each episode offering a glimpse into their backstories.  

The cutting edge drama scandalised viewers with its graphic depictions of teenage drug use, sex and violence, but that has been nothing compared to the drama off screen. 

Since launching in 2022, the series has been the centre of many controversies, including feuds, shock departures and scandals.

Now, ahead of the season three premiere, Daily Mail reveals everything you need to know about Euphoria. 

What happened last season? 

Season two ended in explosive fashion, with friendships and relationships shattered. 

Lexi (Apatow) put on a play for the school which depicted her relationship with sister Cassie (Sweeney) and their friends, exposing a slew of secrets between them.  

The play also exposed Cassie's secret romance with Nate (Elordi) leading to a fight with his on-off girlfriend Maddy (Demie).

Another love triangle came in the form of Jules (Schafer) cheating on Rue with Elliot (Dominic Fike), with the pair also coming together to stage an intervention after Rue's relapse. 

A police raid ended in tragedy for Ashtray (Javon Walton) who is fatally shot, while Fez (Angus Cloud) was arrested. 

Nate sought revenge on his father Cal (Eric Dane) tipping off the police about his collection of tapes showing him sleeping with underage people.  

Rue was back on her journey to sobriety, having managed to stay clean for the rest of the school year. 

Who isn't returning for season three?  

Barbie Ferreira announced in 2022 that she would be reprising her role as Kat following claims of a feud between herself and showrunner Sam Levinson.

A fan on X accused Sam of being unprofessional, writing, 'Sam apparently wanted to give Kat an ED and Barbie left the set so he cut out a bunch of her scenes'.

However, Barbie soon clapped back at the rumours about how she left the show during an episode of The Viall Files.  

She said: 'I never walked off set. There was never anything like that.

'That was a whole thing. I absolutely never did that. You could ask the hundreds of people that were there every day. Fan theories are crazy, and most of the time, they're not right.'

She added that leaving the show was 'a mutual decision'.

Storm Reid who played Rue’s sister Gia will not be returning due to scheduling conflicts, while Nika King, who played Rue's mother Leslie will also not feature. 

Austin Abrams, who played Ethan, and Algee Smith, who starred as Chris, are also not returning. 

Tragically, Angus cannot revive his role as Fez after he died from an accidental overdose in 2023. 

What's the plot for season three? 

Given the notable timespan between the second and third season, the storyline has also had a time jump, focusing on the former East Highland High School students as young adults. 

Creator Sam Levinson revealed the series will see Rue in Mexico, working as a drug smuggler in an attempt to pay back dealer Laurie (Martha Kelly). 

Meanwhile, Cassie and Nate are engaged and living in the suburbs, Jules is at art school, Maddy is working at a Hollywood talent agency and Lexi has landed a job as assistant to a showrunner. 

What's going on between Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney? 

Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney set social media alight after a frosty appearance on the red carpet at the Euphoria series three premiere this week.

The duo graced the red carpet at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX cinema alongside their co-stars, however Zendaya, 29, made it clear no love was lost between the pair as she dodged the Trump-lover on the red carpet.

Whispers of a feud have been long-standing between the pair, after it was alleged that Sydney had set her sights on Tom Holland - who Zendaya is said to have married earlier this year - as well as her polarising politics.

Social media was set alight with response to the alleged snub, as a video circulated showing Zendaya chatting warmlly with Hunter Schafer, while ignoring Sydney.

It was previously reported that Sydney, 28, had liked Twitter posts calling Tom 'hot' while sources claimed: 'There were tensions way back. It was an open secret that Sydney had the hots for Tom and was flirty with him when he would come to set.'

Sydney's well-known political views are also said to have caused divide - having earned her the nickname 'MAGA Barbie'. 

What happened to Natasha Lyonne?  

Zendaya and Sydney's red carpet snub wasn't the only drama on the night of the Euphoria premiere. 

Natasha, 47, drew attention by going braless underneath a sheer top at the event, with fans still none the wiser as to what role she'll be playing after her character's details were kept under wraps. 

She reportedly boarded a plane later that night, but was asked to exit after she was unresponsive to flight attendants instructing her to fasten her seatbelt and close her laptop before takeoff, according to Page Six.

Eyewitnesses claimed Natasha - who admitted three months prior that she had broken her sobriety of nearly a decade - was asked if she need 'medical attention' and eventually advised that the aircraft was 'not going anywhere until you come off it.'

Natasha was scheduled to make an appearance the following day - Wednesday - on The Drew Barrymore Show in New York but was unable to appear.

A witness observed Natasha receiving instructions from multiple flight attendants, and the actress was reportedly dozing off during the mishap.

She was heard telling staff after apparently getting startled at one point: 'Ah! You scared me!'

The staff were eventually able to retrieve her laptop and the plane taxied onto the runway before it returned to the gate, where a Delta staffer boarded to speak to Lyonne.

'Ma’am, do you need medical attention?' the employee reportedly asked Lyonne. 'Ma’am, I need you to come off the plane. Do you need help with your belongings?'

'Where are we?' she was heard asking.

'We’re still in LA. The plane hasn’t gone anywhere,' they said. 'The plane is not going anywhere until you come off it.'

According to the publication, Natasha 'coolly shushed' the staffer before heading towards the bathroom and coming out snacking on a bag of pretzels.

She departed the plane obediently after her luggage was removed.

The captain later revealed they had dealt with a passenger who was unable to follow 'basic commands' as they addressed the more than hour-long delay for travelers waiting to get to New York.

'We have a passenger who, for whatever reason… wouldn’t follow some basic commands… We had a passenger who didn’t seem up to the task tonight, so that’s why they were asked to be booked on another flight,' the captain reportedly said.

'I do apologise for the inconvenience, but we will get you to New York as quickly and as safely as possible.'

Natasha later broke her silence on X/Twitter, posting: 'My heart is with all the unpaid TSA agents at our airports. Sure was looking forward to speaking honestly with @DrewBarrymore yesterday but guess wasn’t in the cards.'

What's going on with Zendaya and Sam Levinson? 

Zendaya and creator Sam have a reportedly 'strained relationship' after he 'turned his attention to controversial show The Idol' instead of Euphoria's hyped third season.

The actress has reportedly been at odds with the showrunner after he spent more time working on the 2023 series starring Lily Rose Depp and The Weeknd while he was occupied with Euphoria's second season.

An investigation by The Hollywood Reporter claimed Zendaya's 'frustration grew' after Sam failed to deliver scripts for Euphoria's third season, and that the actress asked for a meeting with HBO's head of drama Francesca Orsi and CEO Casey Bloys.

It was claimed she was 'demanding to know why the network allowed Samto turn his attention to another show — an HBO show, no less — with Euphoria hanging in the balance'.

Zendaya and Levinson had at first been close pals, but their alleged rift heightened in March 2023 after Rolling Stone published an article claiming The Idol had gone 'disgustingly, disturbingly off the rails' with a toxic work environment.

The show was regularly criticised by both fans and critics alike for the many gratuitous sex and masturbation scenes peppered throughout the series – and was branded 'torture porn'.

The series – which was cancelled after just one season – saw Zendaya allegedly the target of fan backlash over the project, and the star was said to be upset over it marring her 'pristine image'.

An executive who has worked with the star said 'fans were turning against Sam' and 'urging Zendaya to distance herself'.

Months later, there was another meeting with Zendaya, Sam, Casey and Francesca in an alleged bid for reconciliation – but a source involved with the show said: 'They went from being so close, and they couldn't fix it.'

Euphoria returns at at 9pm (ET/PT) on HBO on Sunday, April 13. In the UK, the series airs at 2am on Monday, April 14 on Sky Atlantic and streams on Sky Go/NOW