'Euphoria' star says comment about struggling with bills after Season 3 delays was a 'joke'
When is "Euphoria" coming back for Season 3? One of the show's stars is just as anxious as fans to know.
Nika King, who plays Rue's (Zendaya) mother Leslie Bennett on the HBO series, revealed in a recent standup set shared on TikTok that she is struggling to pay her bills and book roles amid the long wait for a third season.
"Don't ask me (when Season 3 is coming out)," she said. "I don't know. It's one of those things. People are like, 'We need Season 3.' I'm like, (expletive), I need Season 3! I haven't paid my rent in six months."
King also told fans she hasn't booked any roles since "Euphoria," even though she "thought my career was on the rise" after she was cast as Leslie. The actress had a particularly emotional role in the second season after her character's daughter relapses on drugs. King was especially praised for a memorable sequence in the fifth episode where Leslie and Rue have a lengthy, blowout argument over the latter's drug use.
"After 'Euphoria,' I thought I was good," she said. "It don't work that way. I called Taraji (P. Henson), she was like, '(Expletive), get used to it.'"
Since "Euphoria" Season 2 ended, King's only acting credit has been as Nevine's mom in the Adam Driver sci-fi film "65," according to her IMDb page.
"Euphoria," which follows a group of troubled high school students and also stars Sydney Sweeney and Hunter Schafer, has not aired a new episode since February 2022. No premiere date for the third season has been announced, although in December, Max included it in a video that listed shows returning in 2025.
Nika King wants fans to know she's doing fine and has new roles ahead
After the clip from her standup set blew up on social media, King is clarifying the comments were made in jest.
"My reference about 'Euphoria' during my stand up tour was a lighthearted joke. Most people have seen me portray serious characters on-screen but my roots are in comedy," she said in a comment shared with USA TODAY Friday. "I actually have a few film projects releasing this year that I’m excited about. It's a blessing to craft a career in both drama and comedy."
In her standup set, King joked that when she sees her "Euphoria" co-star Zendaya at Paris Fashion Week, "I'm like, (expletive), come home! I need you!" But as the audience laughed, King said, "Y'all laughing, and I'm serious."
Her video drew a wave of support on social media, as fans wondered why King has not been able to find more work despite having a key part in a wildly popular, Emmy-winning HBO series.
"Nika King deserves better," playwright LaDarrion Williams posted on X, sharing a scene of her performance in the show. "She definitely gave her all in euphoria season 2. It's so sad that Black actresses are not given their flowers."
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Colman Domingo, who plays Ali on the series, told GQ in February that the new season has taken so long because creator Sam Levinson is a "person who writes and rewrites and writes and rewrites again, because I think he's wrestling with what's important."
"He's responding immediately to what the ills of the world are," Domingo added. "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."
During the "Euphoria" hiatus, Levinson also premiered another HBO show: "The Idol," which he created with The Weeknd. After drawing negative reviews and sparking controversy for its explicit subject matter and treatment of women, the show was canceled in August.
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Contributing: KiMi Robinson
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nika King says viral 'Euphoria' Season 3 delay comments were a 'joke'
