Why did Barbie Ferreira leave ‘Euphoria’?

Barbie Ferreira has finally come out to address the rumors that she walked off the set of ‘Euphoria’.

The actress, who plays Kat Hernandez in the show, had a noticeably smaller role in the second season of the series.

On an episode of the ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast hosted by Dax Shepard and Monica Padman, Ferreira explained what really happened — and why she won’t be returning for any upcoming seasons of the hit HBO show.

Addressing the rumors

“So, for me, when people ask me about Season 2, it’s usually they come at me with, like, I was some sort of victim to Season 2 and I’m always like, ‘No, it’s okay, promise. It’s good,’” the actress said.

“I kind of got sucked into this drama that I never asked to be in and that I’ve never talked about. I’m of the mindset that if it doesn’t exist I’m not going to address it because then I’m adding fuel to it. It’s taken on a life of its own. Don’t believe everything you read.”

At the time that season 2 came out in January 2022, rumors spread that Ferreira and ‘Euphoria’ showrunner and creator Sam Levinson did not get along. Allegedly, the tension between the two was so intense that several of Ferreira’s scenes were cut, resulting in her much smaller role on the show.

By August, it was confirmed that Ferreira would not be reprising her role.

“I actually did not walk off set,” Ferreira told ‘Armchair Expert’. “I did sprain my ankle once and had to go get an X-ray. Maybe that’s what they mean?”

Why was Kat Hernandez written off ‘Euphoria’?

On why her character was written off the show, she says that the decision was mutual.

“I don’t think there was a place for [Kat] to go,” Ferreira explained. “I think there were places she could have gone. I just don’t think it would have fit into the show.

“I don’t know if it was going to do her justice, and I think both parties knew that. I really wanted to be able to not be the fat best friend. I don’t want to play that, and I think they didn’t want that either.”

She went on to speak on the struggle between herself and Levinson to find a reason for Kat to stay on the show.

“Sam writes for, like, things that he relates to. I don’t think he relates to Kat. I like Kat, so I get to go on my own path. At first, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m a flop. I’m a loser.’ It really has been a good thing.”

Season 3 of ‘Euphoria’ was confirmed while season 2 was airing last year. No release time frame has been confirmed by HBO as of yet.