Euphoria Season 3's Behind-The-Scenes Drama Explained

After an extremely long wait, during which much tumult has occurred, careers have been launched and derailed, and a cast member — Angus Cloud — even died, HBO will finally premiere the third season of "Euphoria." Curious about the show's epic behind-the-scenes drama and want to learn more about what happened and why? Click our video above, which captures every single unseemly moment.

The first scandal the show faced stemmed from accusations lodged against series creator Sam Levinson going all the way back in 2022. One fact about cast member Sydney Sweeney is that she had previously expressed her discomfort with how scantily clad her character, Cassie, had been over the course of Season 1 but clarified that she never felt forced into shooting anything she was uncomfortable with — yet that was only the beginning. 

Chloe Cherry, who played Faye during Season 2, claims that Levinson requested she do her first scene entirely nude. Tyler Chase, who plays Custer, allegedly stepped in, and both actor's protests resulted in a scene change. Two more actresses – Minka Kelly and Martha Kelly — also both asked for scene changes regarding their characters' nudity. Martha Kelly stepped up when she felt that the tone of the scene between her character and Zendaya's Rue had taken on an undertone of pedophilia. But that's just the tip of the dramatic iceberg.

Two actors have left "Euphoria" between Season 2 and Season 3 under strained circumstances. Barbie Ferreira, who played Kat, watched her role shrink over the course of Season 2 and dealt with false claims that she walked off the set in protest. She announced her departure from the series in 2022. Ferreira later opened up about her decision, admitting that it was a mutual choice between herself and the show's producers.

"Everyone decided that there was nowhere to go. Because I'm like, what am I gonna do?" she explained during an appearance on "The Viall Files" podcast. "But again with acting, things just happen all the time, and you have to have thick skin and just make the right decisions for you and your career. And it was hard. I was really young, and it was just tough, obviously."

Algee Smith was also written out of the show under inexplicable circumstances during Season 2. He played Chris McKay, the boyfriend of Sydney Sweeney's Cassie Howard, with Cassie having an abortion as a result of their union. But Smith was written out without much of an explanation, and audiences were left completely confused by the storyline choice. It doesn't help that the show has been beset by long filming delays — it takes so long to film "Euphoria" that the last season came out in 2022, after which Sam Levinson launched "The Idol" and watched it crash and burn. Are you confused by any of Euphoria's big off-screen blow-ups? Click our video above and get the lowdown.