The hit teen drama Euphoria is returning for a third season on HBO, but one member of the cast won’t be coming back. Barbie Ferreira announced that she is leaving the series ahead of Season 3, and she posted a touching goodbye message to her beloved character Kat Hernandez.
Barbie Ferreira made the announcement that she is departing from Euphoria on her Instagram Stories, noting it’s a “teary eyed goodbye” as the character has meant a lot to her and the fans. She also shared fan art of her character, created by Euphoria co-star Hunter Schafer, to go along with this message:
After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary goodbye. I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that she brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today. I put all my care and love into her and I hope you guys could feel it. Love you Katherine Hernandez
Barbie Ferreira portrayed Kat Hernandez throughout the first two seasons of Euphoria, and her character even made headlines during a Kat-centric Season 1 episode that discussed Kat’s background and the fact that she wrote fan fiction surrounding former One Direction members Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. Both Ferreira and the character have been praised for the representation they bring, showing fans to love how they look and love their bodies.
While Ferreira didn’t discuss the reasoning for the departure, her comment about "having to" say goodbye suggests that it may not have been her choice. According to THR, she and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson did not get along too well during the filming of the second season. Fans noticed that she had less screen time in the second season compared to the first, including in an episode that focused on Kat and her relationship.
Euphoria is not the only HBO project that Sam Levinson is working on. Despite Ferriera reportedly storming off set and some complaints towards him, as reported by The Daily Beast, he and The Weeknd are developing a new HBO show. The upcoming series, The Idol, which stars The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, has yet to receive a release date on the network, but is expected before the end of the year or early 2023.
The second season of Euphoria ended on a heartbreaking cliffhanger that left Ashtray dead and Fez getting arrested. It’s unknown how Kat Hernandez will be written out of the series, but hopefully she gets a happy ending, and it’s less tragic than the other fan-favorite characters. But it is a disappointment that she isn’t returning, especially since there is still plenty of story to tell for her.
Other than Euphoria, Barbie Ferreira also appeared in the Jordan Peele-directed horror thriller Nope and appeared on an episode of Apple TV+’s The Afterparty, both this year. Her career is only getting started, so hopefully, she will soon find another role, though I'm not sure any could be as iconic as Katherine Hernandez.
Watch Barbie Ferreira as Kat on the first two seasons of Euphoria now on HBO Max with a subscription. And when you’re done, check out what else is coming in the following months with CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule!
