KAT OUT OF THE BAG

Barbie Ferreira Waves a ‘Very Teary Eyed Goodbye’ to ‘Euphoria’ Ahead of S3

After a sophomore season in which her “enigmatic” character had very little to do—and reports of bad blood between her and creator Sam Levinson—Ferreira is bowing out.

Bitch, you better be joking.

What will Euphoria be without Kat Hernandez—resident smutty fan-fiction writer, former financial dominatrix, and… high schooler whose Season 2 storyline largely consisted of looking askance at her friends’ bad decisions? Well, HBO Max viewers are about to find out: On Wednesday, actor Barbie Ferreira announced she would not return to the smash-hit series for its third season.

In a post made to her Instagram story, Ferreira, 25, wrote, “after four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character kat, I’m having to say a very teary eyed goodbye.”

“i hope many of you could see yourself in her like i did,” Ferreira continued, the text superimposed over a drawing of fan-favorite Kat done by fellow Euphoria star Hunter Schafer, “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.”

Ferreira’s exit comes months after The Daily Beast reported that she and show creator Sam Levinson repeatedly clashed during the filming of Euphoria’s sophomore season. After disagreeing on Kat’s characterization, Ferreira allegedly walked off set, and Levinson is reported to have cut her screen time.

HBO denied the rumors, but Kat nevertheless experienced an admittedly lackluster arc during Euphoria’s second outing. While the Kat of Season 1 came into her own—self-actualizing, sexually awakening, and developing a glam-rock edge—the Kat of Season 2 was repeatedly shoved aside by the narrative, seemingly to make room for things like cheating storylines, monologues from drug queenpins, and prosthetic penises.

In an interview with Insider earlier this year, Ferreira addressed the whispers of on-set beef. “Sometimes, things take on a life of their own, and they’re not rooted in the truth, but it’s okay because I know it’s just out of passion and out of curiosity and all that good stuff,” she said. “And I signed up for it. So, I’ll take it. I’ll take the good and the bad.”

Whether or not Ferreira is officially done taking it, fans will mourn the loss of Katherine Hernandez—the only girl brave enough to look Cassie square in the eye and ask, “If you’re not auditioning for Oklahoma, why do you look like that?”

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AJ McDougallBreaking News Reporter

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