Zendaya and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson reportedly have a “strained relationship” after he “focused his attention on the controversial show The Idol” instead of Euphoria’s much-hyped third season.
The actress, 27, who plays Rue on the hit HBO show, has reportedly had a falling out with showrunner Levinson, 39, after she spent more time working on the 2023 series starring Lily Rose Depp and The Weeknd while he was busy with the second season of Euphoria.
An investigation carried out by The thr claims Zendaya’s “frustration” increased after Levinson failed to deliver scripts for the yet-to-be-filmed third season of Euphoria, and the actress requested a meeting with HBO drama chief Francesca Orsi and chief executive Casey Bloys.
She was said to be “demanding to know why the network allowed Levinson to focus his attention on another show – an HBO show, no less – with Euphoria at stake.”
Zendaya and Levinson had initially been close friends, but their alleged rift escalated in March 2023 after Rolling Stone published an article claiming that The Idol had “gone off the rails in disgusting and troubling ways” with a toxic work environment.
Zendaya and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson have an alleged ‘strained relationship’ after he ‘focused his attention on controversial show The Idol’ instead of Euphoria’s hyped third season – pictured together in 2022
The show was regularly criticized by fans and critics alike for the many gratuitous sex and masturbation scenes scattered throughout the series, and was labeled “torture porn”.
The series, which was cancelled after just one season, saw Zendaya reportedly be the target of fan backlash over the project with the star said to be upset that it spoiled her “flawless image.”
An executive who has worked with the star said “fans were turning on Sam” and “urging Zendaya to distance herself.”
Months later, there was another meeting with Zendaya, Levinson, Bloys and Orsi in an alleged attempt at reconciliation, but a source involved with the show said: “They went from being so close to not being able to fix it.”
Zendaya also reportedly told HBO executives that she did not want Sam’s wife, Ashley Levinson, to be the sole executive producer for season three, following the sudden death of executive producer Kevin Turen in November 2023, at just 44 years old.
Sources told THR that Ashley is “more aggressive than conciliatory and, above all, fiercely protective of her husband.”
A talent representative with a client on the show said: ‘Sam needs someone other than Ashley. He needs a voice of reason, and Kevin was a genius at that.
The actress, 27, who plays Rue on the hit HBO show, has reportedly been at odds with showrunner Levinson, 39, after he spent more time working on the 2023 series starring Lily Rose Depp and The Weeknd while he was busy with the second season of Euphoria.
Zendaya and Levinson had initially been close friends, but their alleged rift escalated in March 2023 after Rolling Stone published an article claiming that The Idol had “spun out of control in disgusting and disturbing ways” with a toxic work environment.
The show was regularly criticized by fans and critics alike for the many gratuitous sex and masturbation scenes scattered throughout the series, and was labeled “torture porn”.
However, a source close to Levinson has blamed Zendaya, claiming she was “dragging her feet” on Euphoria due to her burgeoning film career, saying: “Everything was about her. Everyone wanted it to be about Sam, but it was her.”
Other sources claim that Sydney Sweeney was eager to return to Euphoria with Levinson at the helm, while fellow star Jacob Elordi has reportedly been “distant and ambivalent” about returning but has now signed on for season three.
Levinson’s first reported attempt at creating a storyline for Season 3 — in which Zendaya would play a private detective — was rejected by both Zendaya and HBO.
Her idea to play a surrogate mother was also rejected.
However, HBO sources say relations between Zendaya and Levinson have begun to thaw ahead of the third season’s filming in January 2025.
DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for Zendaya and HBO for comment.
Representatives for Levinson, Ashley and Zendaya declined to comment to the publication.
Orsi confirmed that Euphoria would return for a third season earlier this month, in a statement to Variety.
“I’m thrilled that we’re set to begin production on Euphoria in January. We couldn’t be happier with our creative partnership with Sam and this incredible cast,” she said.
Orsi added: “We look forward to bringing this new season of Euphoria to life for fans.”
However, a source close to Levinson has blamed Zendaya, claiming she was “dragging her feet” on Euphoria due to her burgeoning film career, saying: “Everything was about her. Everyone wanted it to be about Sam, but it was her,” pictured in Dune: Part 2.
Other sources claim that Sydney Sweeney was eager to return to Euphoria with Levinson in charge.
Zendaya also reportedly told HBO executives that she did not want Sam’s wife Ashley Levinson to be the sole executive producer for season three, following the sudden death of executive producer Kevin Turen (pictured) in November 2023 at just 44 years old.
The show’s future seemed up in the air for years, with many of its core cast members rising to stardom during the drama series’ hiatus from 2022.
The third season of the teen drama series will also see the return of Jacob Elordi and Hunter Schafer.
Warner Bros. Discovery executives Bloys and JB Perrette said Variety Last month it was said that there would possibly be a time jump in the narrative, and that showrunner Sam Levinson is currently figuring it out.
The HBO CEO explained: “Sam is working on it. There’s been a lot of back and forth… One of the things I think Sam is thinking about is that he doesn’t want it to be set in high school anymore. That’s where it was set and what made sense at the time.”
“So when you get him out of there, there’s a lot of back and forth about where to set it and how far into the future and all that. But I think he’s got an idea that he’s excited about and he’s busy writing.”
In March, it was reported that the third season of the hit series had been delayed due to the schedules of the show’s in-demand cast members.
Scripts for the third season are currently being written.
An HBO spokesperson told Variety: ‘HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to delivering an outstanding third season.
‘In the meantime, we are allowing our highly sought-after cast to pursue other opportunities.’
The first two seasons of showrunner Levinson’s edgy series also starred Maude Apatow, Alexa Demie, the late Angus Cloud, Barbie Ferreira and Dominic Fike.
Euphoria’s second season premiered in 2022 and received critical and audience acclaim. A third season was confirmed to have been greenlit in February 2022; HBO announced last year that the third and final season would air in 2025.
The production of the third season was delayed due to the now-resolved WGA strike and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Creator Sam Levinson and Zendaya’s busy schedules also contributed to the delay.
Zendaya has played drug-addicted teen Rue since Euphoria debuted on HBO in 2019.
Jacob Elordi has reportedly been “distant and ambivalent” about returning, but has now signed on for season three.
The show’s first season ran for eight episodes and was followed by a pair of specials released in 2020 and 2021.
Eric Dane, Storm Reid, Colman Domingo, Javon Walton, Austin Abrams and Nika King also star in the drama.
Meanwhile, the show’s stars have become big stars in the world of cinema. Zendaya recently starred in the hit film Dune 2 alongside Timothee Chalamet, while Elordi directed the films Priscilla and Saltburn.