While not one of the leads, Barbie Ferreira had a sizeable role in Euphoria with her character Kat, which led to rumors when she left the show about the tension between her and creator Sam Levinson. In an interview on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepherd, she gave details about her exit from the hit HBO series. In reality, it had nothing to do with any behind-the-scenes drama and was all about the end of Kat’s arc.
The decision to leave was a “mutual decision.” Between her not wanting to be the “fat best friend” and not seeing where else Kat could have gone, Barbie Ferreira left Euphoria, leaving fans to question how the show will tackle her not embodying her character.
“I don’t think there was a place for her to go. 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.”
Barbie Ferreira left Euphoria due to her character, shutting down rumors
The second season saw a significantly less amount of substance for Kat. In the first season, she went on a journey of self-discovery as she tackled how she felt in her body and her sex life as everyone around her often banged with their significant others or other classmates who they barely knew. The star and model recognized that fans were “upset” by the lack of substance Kat was given in season 2, which saw further development of her relationship with Ethan (Austin Abrams) without the same level of development to her identity as the first season.
Even in making that season, she felt it was a “struggle” for her and Levinson to find something meaningful for her. To Barbie Ferreira, her Euphoria character was not quite understood by the creator as he makes things that “he relates to.” To her, she does not “think he relates to Kat.”
Not much is known about the third season. It is coming and will take the characters out of high school, which could be a good way to explain why Kat is not around. Still, a release seems far away without any word on when it should be expected.