‘Euphoria’ Season 3 is facing intense criticism over Sydney Sweeney’s character Cassie Howard joining OnlyFans, with scenes featuring baby and dog roleplay sparking outrage from conservative commentators and real-life adult content creators who call the portrayal degrading and unrealistic.
Trigger Warning: This article discusses mature themes and NSFW content depicted in a television series.
The long-awaited third season of HBO’s hit drama ‘Euphoria’ finally premiered on April 12, 2026. But instead of celebrating the return of the Emmy-winning series, the internet is buzzing with anger. The show, which picked up five years after the events of Season 2, follows the characters as they navigate adulthood. However, it is the storyline of Sydney Sweeney’s character, Cassie Howard, that has ignited a firestorm of controversy.
Cassie is now engaged to Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) and living in the suburbs. In an effort to pay for their dream wedding, she starts creating content on OnlyFans. The graphic depiction of her work, which includes dressing as a dog and a baby in s*xualized scenarios, has led to widespread accusations that the show has crossed a serious line.
Megyn Kelly Leads the Outrage Against the Show
One of the loudest voices criticizing the show is conservative commentator Megyn Kelly. On her SiriusXM show The Megyn Kelly Show on April 14, 2026, she tore into the teaser trailer for the season, specifically focusing on a shot of Sweeney dressed in a baby costume and bonnet while posing suggestively.
“This is s*xualizing infancy. That’s what this is. She’s dressed as a baby. She’s in a baby’s outfit. She’s sucking on a binky pacifier, and her legs are completely spread.”
Kelly did not stop at criticizing the imagery. She also blamed the show’s creator, Sam Levinson, directly.
“I think this guy’s sick. I can’t believe she agreed to this frankly. I think this is another example of Hollywood not understanding at all where the line is and how most normal people are going to recoil.”
She pointed out that many actresses on the show, including Sweeney, have reportedly pushed back against nudity in the past. Kelly accused Levinson of forcing the actresses to “take their clothes off for scenes that don’t require them to be nude at all.”
OnlyFans Creators Say the Show Got the Facts Wrong
The backlash is not just coming from media pundits. Real-life creators who use the OnlyFans platform are also furious. They argue that the show is not only degrading to s*x workers but also factually wrong about the platform’s rules.
Maitland Ward, an actress known for Boy Meets World and White Chicks who now creates adult content, called the baby scene “beyond troubling.”
“In the climate we’re in, that they dressed her up as a baby to make prnographic OnlyFans content was beyond troubling and again serves to perpetuate stereotypes that sx workers have no moral compass and that they will do anything for money.”
Sydney Leathers, an OnlyFans creator since 2017, told Variety that much of what the show depicts would get a creator banned.
“The age-play stuff where she’s dressed as a baby in a diaper, for example, wouldn’t be allowed. Credit card processors have very strict rules that you have to abide by, and the rules are getting stricter all the time.”
Leathers added that the entire plot feels “ridiculous and cartoonish.” She explained that s*x workers are often sensitive about their portrayal because Hollywood almost never gets it right, usually framing the work as either “absurd or depressing.”
Megan Prescott, another performer, told Mashable that the show presents a fantasy version of s*x work that misleads the public. She expressed concern that viewers might now believe OnlyFans allows content involving age-play, which is prohibited under the site’s acceptable use policy.
Fans Call the Story a ‘Humiliation Ritual’ for Sydney Sweeney
Viewers watching the season unfold have also taken to social media to express their discomfort. Many fans feel that Sam Levinson is using Sweeney’s character as a vehicle for shock value rather than meaningful storytelling.
The Rotten Tomatoes score for the new season reflects this discontent, landing at a 42% “rotten” rating from critics, a steep drop from the praise of previous seasons.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) have specifically criticized the scenes where Cassie wears dog ears and a collar, barking for Nate.
Reactions included:
- “So is Euphoria just a humiliation ritual for Sydney Sweeney at this point? #euphoria”
- “I keep seeing Sydney Sweeney as more and more excessively s*xualized. She’s an actress with potential, but the 3rd season of #Euphoria is an example of her taking the wrong path.”
Some viewers even accused Jacob Elordi of phoning in his performance, with one user claiming he looks like he is “physically forcing himself through every take.”
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Sam Levinson Defends His Creative Choices
Despite the mounting criticism from commentators, creators, and fans, Sam Levinson is standing by his decision. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, he attempted to explain the concept behind Cassie’s storyline.
He argued that the scenes were meant to highlight the “absurdity” of the situation, not to make it look good. He pointed out that the “gag” of the scene is that Cassie’s housekeeper is the one filming her dressed as a dog.
“What we wanted to always find is the other layer of absurdity that we’re able to tie into it so that we’re not too inside of her fantasy or illusion—the gag is to jump out, to break the wall. We wanted to capture what she’s trying to show the audience and be inside of it, but then also pull back wider and see how depressing it is.”
Levinson has previously defended the amount of nudity in the series. Sweeney herself has stated in a 2022 interview that Levinson is open to feedback, claiming that if she tells him a scene “isn’t necessary,” he removes it.
However, given the intensity of the Season 3 backlash, it seems the audience opinion has shifted drastically.
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