Ferreira left after season 2, before season 3 was ripped by fans and critics.

Euphoria’s Alexa Demie makes rare comment on how she really felt about Barbie Ferreira exiting before final season

Ferreira left after season 2, before season 3 was ripped by fans and critics.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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June 4, 2026 11:11 p.m. ET

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Alexa Demie and Barbie Ferreira on 'Euphoria'. Credit:

- *Euphoria* star Alexa Demie has reacted to Barbie Ferreira's shocking exit after season 2.

- Demie, Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and more returned for season 3 of the HBO show.

- Season 3, which ended up being the final season of the series, was widely derided by critics and fans.

Though she returned for the heavily criticized final season of *Euphoria*, series star Alexa Demie has revealed she respected one of her costars for bowing out of the HBO drama four years earlier.

In a new interview following Sunday's series finale — which killed off four major characters, including lead actress Zendaya's Rue Bennett — Demie, who joined the show for its first season in 2019, made a rare comment about former costar Barbie Ferreira's shocking exit following season 2 of the hit show.**

“I was bummed, but I really respected her decision, she has to take care of herself,” Demie told *The Hollywood Reporter *when asked about Ferreira, who played fictional high-schooler Kat on seasons 1 and 2 of the Sam Levinson-created series.

Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Barbie Ferreira in 'Euphoria' season 2.

Demie continued, calling Ferreira's decision "a brave move" in the end, considering she walked away from a show that had — as of season 2's conclusion in 2022 — won nine Emmys and garnered immense critical and commercial success.

Earlier this year, Ferreira elaborated on her decision to leave the show, on the *Not Skinny But Not Fa**t* podcast.

"In fact, it was kind of the opposite of dramatic, where it was a long process of being like, 'I don't know if this is it for me,'" Ferreira said. "And then having conversations with people and us trying to figure out how to make Kat a fully fleshed-out character, and it just wasn't going anywhere."

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Ferreira went on to say she was "really proud of what we were doing" on the show's first pair of seasons, but ultimately walked when she wasn't able to "land on anything" she liked in terms of where to take Kat's story next.

"Since we can't find anything and we can't land on anything, I'm like, let me just go," Ferreira concluded. "Let me just go do my thing."

Also ahead of season 3, Ferreira fielded a question about whether or not the cast told her anything about the long-gestating third edition of the drama, which was released four years after the conclusion of season 2.

Zendaya in 'Euphoria' season 3.

Patrick Wymore/HBO

"People always ask me questions about season 3. I'm like, 'I don't know.' I don't even think the girls know," she admitted.

*Euphoria*'s critically panned third season was only revealed to be its last when Levinson gave an interview to the* New York Times *that* *ran immediately after Sunday's finale.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter*****.**

When journalist Joe Coscarelli explicitly asked Levinson if "*Euphoria* ends here with Rue," Levinson definitively replied, "Yeah. What else is there to say?"

In addition to Zendaya's Rue, other characters who met their demise in season 3 included Jacob Elordi's Nate, Martha Kelly's Laurie, NFL star Marshawn Lynch's G, and new series regular Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's villainous Alamo.

All seasons of *Euphoria* are now streaming on HBO Max.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Drama”