Euphoria‘s final season was missing several pivotal characters — and now one OG cast member is speaking out about their absence.
Storm Reid, who played Rue’s (Zendaya) sister Gia, reacted to her shocking death in the Sunday, May 31, finale. Alongside a video of her recording music in the studio, Reid quipped, “Sorry rue I’m busy in the stu.”
In response, a social media user replied, “It’s fine, you weren’t in her last 7 minutes.” Reid, for her part, responded to the comment and wrote, “Were you?”
Euphoria, which premiered in 2019, originally followed troubled high school student Rue as she struggled to remain sober after rehab. The HBO series was quickly renewed for a second season after its premiere, but it took nearly three years for the episodes to air.
Season 3, meanwhile, was originally set to air on HBO in 2025 before facing several obstacles, including creator Sam Levinson’s commitment to his short-lived series The Idol. The dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which took place in late 2023, prolonged the delay.
While Reid previously confirmed she wouldn’t be returning, her onscreen mother Nika King called out the delay.
“Season 3 is coming out. I don’t f***ing know. Don’t ask me. I don’t know. It’s one of those things,” King said during a stand-up show in March 2024. “People are like, ‘We need season 3.’ I’m like, ‘Bitch, I need season 3. I haven’t paid my rent in six months.’ And Zendaya’s over in Paris at Fashion Week. I’m like, ‘Bitch, come home! I need you! Mama need you!’”
King attempted to poke fun at the delays.
“You’re laughing and I’m serious. I haven’t booked anything since Euphoria. This is some bulls***,” she continued. “I thought my career was on the rise. After Euphoria I thought I was good. It don’t work that way. I called [Taraji P. Henson], she was like, ‘Bitch, get used to it.”
King was brought back for two short scenes on the show. She later took to Instagram to address her dialogue being decreased after she recalled filming more of a back-and-forth conversation for the show.
“I just watched the episode that I’ve been promoting all week — and my mom over here is clowning me!” King quipped in May before adding that her mother laughed at her because “the internet waited all this time for [her] to just say one line.”
King continued: “You better be glad I have a sense of humor. You better be glad I’ve got thick skin.”
Euphoria is currently streaming on HBO Max.
