Euphoria season 3 is facing plenty of backlash, and much of the criticism centers on Sydney Sweeney’s controversial new storyline.
Created by Sam Levinson, the latest season follows Cassie Howard as she turns to adult content creation to pursue a lavish lifestyle. While the storyline has sparked intense debate online, many viewers have accused the series of glamorizing and misrepresenting the industry.
Highlights
- Adult creators criticized Euphoria’s raunchy storyline, which features Sydney Sweeney.
- Creators slammed the show for its unrealistic and damaging depiction of their profession.
- Fans also blasted a viral Sydney Sweeney scene from the newest episode.
Now, adult content creators themselves are weighing in on the polarizing storyline, and their reactions are far from positive.
Adult content creators react to Sydney Sweeney’s Euphoria storyline
Image credits: HBO
In season 3, Cassie joins an adult subscription platform, initially hoping to earn extra money for her wedding to Nate. However, scenes depicting Sweeney dressed as both a dog and a child drew strong backlash from viewers.
Several adult creators have criticized the show’s portrayal of the industry in a recent interview with Variety.
Sydney Leathers, an adult creator since 2017, described the show’s depiction of her profession as “ridiculous and cartoonish.”
“There’s so much that they have her doing that is not even allowed on O*lyF*ns, and that alone is infuriating,” she said.
Image credits: @maitlandward/Instagram
Similarly, Maitland Ward, the former Boy Meets World actress turned adult creator, found the storyline, especially Cassie’s depiction as a baby, particularly damaging.
She argued that the scenes were disturbing and reinforced harmful stereotypes about adult content creators.
She stated, “There’s always this untrue stigma that somehow s*x work is synonymous with s*x traf*icking and a*use. And they just said, let’s make a joke of it. That is so funny.”
Sydney Sweeney’s Euphoria co-star also slammed the show’s take on adult creators
Image credits: HBO
Last month, Chloe Cherry, a former adult actress who plays Faye Valentine on the show, spoke out against the handling of Cassie’s storyline.
Speaking to Refinery29, she argued that Cassie joining an adult platform was less about empowerment and more about broader societal issues.
“What it actually 100% has to do with is just the fact that we live under capitalism and the economy is horrible,” she said.
Image credits: @sophieraiin/Instagram
Sophie Rain, a top creator, also slammed the show’s unrealistic portrayal of working on an adult platform.
In an interview with Complex, she argued that the series portrays adult platforms as an easy path to quick money, which was far from reality.
“I believe the depiction the director created, labeling O*lyF*ns as this easy money gateway, is damaging for girls,” she said.
Euphoria leaves fans disgusted with viral new Sydney Sweeney scene
Image credits: HBO
Despite backlash from adult creators, showrunner Sam Levinson has defended the storyline, pointing to its intentionally absurd nature.
In the fifth episode, Cassie records an ASMR video while pressing a microphone against her chest. The clip quickly went viral online, garnering more than 12 million views on X.
However, many viewers called the scene disturbing and unnecessary.
Image credits: HBO
“Lock Sam Levinson up. What is this lmao?” one user said.
A second person wrote, “This season is just a humiliation ritual for her ATP.”
“They have gone really far this time, well done, Euphoria,” a third added.
The third season has two episodes left, with the finale scheduled to premiere on May 31, 2026.
Euphoria is streaming on HBO Max.