'Euphoria' season 3: Nika King reacts after scene time with Zendaya reduced

Euphoria star Nika King laughed through the disappointment after her long-awaited season 3 return amounted to just one line.

In the May 17 episode, Rue (Zendaya) received a phone call from her mother, Leslie (King).

Most of the exchange played out from Rue’s perspective, with the camera only briefly cutting to Leslie as she told her daughter, “I love you.”

King revealed on Instagram that she had filmed a fuller back and forth conversation, but the final cut reduced her dialogue.

“I just watched the episode that I’ve been promoting all week — and my mom over here is clowning me!” she joked, adding that the internet “waited all this time for [her] to just say one line.”

The appearance marked King’s first on Euphoria since 2022.

Production delays including Sam Levinson’s detour with The Idol and the dual WGA and SAG AFTRA strikes in 2023 pushed season 3’s release to 2025.

King herself poked fun at the uncertainty during a stand up set last year, quipping, “Bitch, I need season 3. I haven’t paid my rent in six months.”

Despite the trimmed screen time, King kept her humour intact, “You better be glad I have a sense of humor. You better be glad I’ve got thick skin.”