Euphoria star Storm Reid has revealed she will not be returning for season three of Max’s gritty teen drama.
21-year-old Reid, who starred as Gia, the younger sister of series lead Rue Bennett (Zendaya) on the hit series, shared the news while walking the red carpet at the 2024 Governors Awards on Sunday (November 17).
“I am very excited for season 3,” The Last of Us alum told Rotten Tomatoes in a video shared Wednesday. “Unfortunately, Gia’s not returning to the third season, but I am so so indebted to the cast and the crew of that show, to HBO. Euphoria’s a really special thing and I’m so glad that that’s a part of my legacy and that I was a part of such a cultural phenomenon … I can’t wait to see what Season 3 has in store.”
Reid appeared in 13 episodes of the show’s first two seasons, which aired in 2019 and 2022.
HBO has continued to deny recent rumors that Euphoria had been canceled, saying that “nothing has changed.”
“Euphoria is going into production in 2025,” a representative for HBO told The Independent.
There’s been much speculation over the future of the Emmy-winning drama following significant delays and reported disagreements about the direction the series was heading in.
It appears Reid’s departure may have been a newer development, as she had previously expressed disappointment that production on the third season had been postponed in March.
“We would all hope to be able to go back tomorrow, but there are logistics that have to be figured out,” she said at the time. “So even though I’m a little disappointed, I’m not surprised.”
According to HBO, production was delayed so creator and writer Sam Levinson could make major changes to the script. “HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season,” an HBO spokesperson said. “In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities.”
Actors Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, and Hunter Schafer have gone on to become big stars, making it difficult to coordinate schedules.
Addressing the delay in a 2023 interview with The Independent, Coleman Domingo, who portrays Rue’s drug sponsor, Ali Muhammad, said: “[Sam is] a person who writes and rewrites and writes and rewrites again, because I think he’s wrestling with what’s important…I know that the one thing I can tell you is that he’s very much interested in the existential question of who we are right now. Our souls. That’s what he wants to figure out with season three.”
