Barbie Ferreira vs. Sam Levinson: A Timeline of The Alleged Feud That Led to Ferreira Quitting ‘Euphoria’

It looks like things on the Euphoria set have never, ever been…unhappier? Following the announcement that Barbie Ferreira would not be returning as Kat Hernandez in the HBO show’s third season, though rather unsurprisingly since we hardly saw her character in Season 2, we can’t help but wonder if this is due to the alleged behind-the-scenes drama between the actress and the show’s creator and writer, Sam Levinson.

Here’s a timeline of everything we know about a reported feud between the duo:

June 5, 2018: Ferreira and the rest of the cast of Euphoria are officially announced by HBO, as the show goes to pilot.

June 16, 2019-August 4, 2019: Euphoria‘s first season airs on HBO, including a storyline featuring Kat that was reportedly heavily influenced by Ferreira and Levinson working closely together. Critics, and audiences, respond well to the character. Everything seems hunky-dory, at least in the public eye.

March, 2020: Production is supposed to be begin on Euphoria Season 2, until COVID hit and shut everything down.

March, 2021: Production resumes on Euphoria Season 2, a year after it was supposed to begin.

April, 2021-November, 2021: Euphoria Season 2 production continues. The long shoot is reportedly made longer and more chaotic by Levinson’s insistence on using Kodak film instead of shooting on digital (a la Season 1), as well as a lack of shot lists, last second script changes, and more.

January 5, 2022: Ferreira decides to skip out of the Euphoria Season 2 premiere, fueling rumors that there was some tension offscreen.

January 20, 2022: Speculation of beef between the two was first reported last January when an anonymous tip was sent to DeuxMoi, a pop culture gossip account, claiming that Ferreira was “not vibing” with Levinson’s vision during the filming of Season 2, adding that, “Barbie got into it with him on set and left one day. He then cut a lot of her lines.”

February 17, 2022: According to a report by The Daily Beast, a “handful of production sources” told the outlet that Ferreira had, in fact, walked off set two times. On another occasion, she allegedly had to be helped off after falling twice and twisting her ankle during the filming of Episode 4’s hot tub scene. You know, the one where Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie is puking everywhere. The report also claims at least one of Ferreira’s sex scenes were cut from the final version of the season.

March 3, 2022: In March, the actress shut down speculation of offscreen drama.

“What’s interesting about this season is there are so many more eyes on it that even the news cycle has been so interesting to see,” she told Insider. “I’ve seen so many different things and a lot of it is untrue and some of it’s kind of like mundane little things.”

She added, “Sometimes, things take on a life of their own, and they’re not rooted in the truth, but it’s OK because I know it’s just out of passion and out of curiosity and all that good stuff. And I signed up for it. So, I’ll take it. I’ll take the good and the bad.”

In the same interview, Ferreira detailed what she hopes for Kat in Season 3, saying, “I hope to see her relationship with herself, the internet, with her friends. I hope to see everything beautifully devolve as it always does on Euphoria. I’m excited to read it. I don’t think it’s written yet, so I’ll be waiting.”

August 24, 2022: The actress takes to social media to declare her “teary-eyed goodbye” to the series, announcing that she won’t be returning for Season 3.

So let’s break it down: eight months ago, rumors come out. Five months ago, Ferreira says a lot of rumors were untrue (but not all?) and she talks about her hopes for Kat. Then, on a random Wednesday night in August, she abruptly tells the world she’s leaving HBO’s second-most watched show. This leaves us to ask, why, Sam Levinson? What happened? Perhaps the answer is somewhere in the timeline above.

Both seasons of Euphoria are currently streaming on HBO Max.