5 Original Stars Who Aren't Returning for “Euphoria” Season 3

Jane LaCroixSun, April 12, 2026 at 2:30 PM UTC

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Barbie Ferreira in Euphoria Season 2; Storm Reid in Euphoria Season 2.Credit: Eddy Chen/HBO (2)

A lot can change in four years, including the cast lineup of Euphoria.

When the teen drama first hit HBO in 2019, it was an instant cultural phenomenon. Created by Sam Levinson, the show follows Zendaya's Rue Bennett, a troubled teenager navigating a dark world of drugs, love and loss.

Euphoria launched the careers of an entire generation of young Hollywood stars, winning several Emmys in the process.

The years since season 2 ended in 2022 were filled with some speed bumps for the series, including production delays and the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. The show also suffered the heartbreaking losses of two of its beloved cast members, Angus Cloud and Eric Dane.

Dane was able to complete filming before his death in February 2026, meaning fans will still get to see him on screen one last time.

Now season 3, premiering April 12, has a five-year time jump that launches every character out of East Highland High and into messy adult lives, along with a cast list that looks a little different than fans might have expected.

Here's who won't be returning for season 3 of Euphoria.

01 of 05

Barbie Ferreira (Kat Hernandez)

Barbie Ferreira in Euphoria Season 1; Barbie Ferreira visits SiriusXM Studios on April 02, 2026 in New York City.Credit: Eddy Chen/HBO; Gary Gershoff/Getty

One of the most talked-about departures ahead of season 3 is Barbie Ferreira, who won fans over as the self-assured Kat Hernandez in the first two seasons.

Ferreira announced her exit back in 2022 on her Instagram Stories, and while rumors of behind-the-scenes tension swirled for years, she has since set the record straight.

Speaking on The Viall Files in March 2025, Ferreira described the decision as mutual, explaining that both she and the creative crew felt there was simply nowhere left to take the character.

“I love Kat. Kat means the world to me. I mean, I spent so many years pouring everything into her, but it's like, you don't want to ruin a good thing,” she explained to host Nick Viall.

For years, though, the internet ran wild with speculation — rumors of a feud between Ferreira and Levinson had been circulating since the moment she announced her departure, with many pointing to the fact that Kat's storyline had been scaled back in season 2 as evidence that something had gone wrong behind the scenes.

“I was really young and it was tough,” she said. “Obviously there was a lot of discourse about it that wasn't true, and I'm a person who just kind of lets everything happen. It's a popular show ... I never walked off set.”

Ferreira has stayed in touch with her former castmates; Sydney Sweeney, Maude Apatow and Lukas Gage even showed up to support her Broadway debut in 2025.

02 of 05

Storm Reid (Gia Bennett)

Storm Reid in Euphoria Season 2; Storm Reid at the TIME 2025 Women of the Year Gala on February 25, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.Credit: Eddy Chen/HBO; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Storm Reid won't be returning as Gia Bennett, Rue's younger sister, but she said she left on good terms.

Reid confirmed her departure in November 2024, describing it as bittersweet.

"I love Gia. I loved being able to embody her and give her life," she told Variety in March 2025, while making it clear that she was rooting for the new season all the same.

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Her bond with costar Zendaya is also intact. "That's my sister before Euphoria and after," Reid said. "That's gonna be my sister for life."

She is now developing Get Lite at Paramount — a dance film set in Harlem that will mark Teyana Taylor's directorial debut.

03 of 05

Austin Abrams (Ethan Lewis)

Austin Abrams in Euphoria Season 1; Austin Abrams at the "Weapons" Premiere on July 31, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.Credit: Eddy Chen/HBO; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Austin Abrams' exit as Ethan Lewis is seemingly connected to Ferreira's departure.

With Kat written out of the show, there may not be a big enough story to tell for her lovable boyfriend.

The New York Times confirmed Abrams is missing from season 3.

04 of 05

Angus Cloud (Fezco)

Angus Cloud in Euphoria Season 2; Angus Cloud at the Premiere of 'Euphoria' on June 4, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.Credit: Eddy Chen/HBO; Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Cloud, who played the soft-spoken, loyal drug dealer Fezco, became one of Euphoria's most unexpectedly beloved characters.

He was so adored, in fact, that Levinson kept him on after his character was originally meant to die at the end of season 1.

In July 2023, Cloud died at 25 years old following an accidental overdose. Zendaya paid tribute to him on Instagram, writing that he "could light up any room he entered" and that she would cherish "all of the boundless light, love and joy he always managed to give us."

His mother, Lisa Cloud, spoke to PEOPLE in the aftermath, reflecting on the kind of person her son was.

"He's not just an actor who overdosed," she said. "He was a beautiful soul, and that's why people miss him so much." She added that she always knew "something special was in store" for him.

Fezco's fate had been left unresolved at the end of season 2, and season 3 will have to find a way to address his absence.

05 of 05

Labrinth

Labrinth attends the Saint Laurent Menswear Spring/Summer 2026 show on June 24, 2025 in Paris, France.Credit: Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty

Labrinth, the Emmy-winning British composer and songwriter responsible for the show's signature score, made his exit known in March 2026.

"IM DONE WITH THIS INDUSTRY ... DOUBLE F--- EUPHORIA. IM OUT. THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT X," he wrote on social media. The post has since been removed.

Labrinth won an Emmy for Outstanding Music & Lyrics in 2020 for "All for Us," the haunting track that closed out season 1.

In July 2025, HBO announced that legendary composer Hans Zimmer would be joining the show for season 3. Although he and Labrinth were originally meant to collaborate, Zimmer has the only composer credit on the new season, per Rolling Stone.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”