Sydney Sweeney's 'vulgar' baby scene in Euphoria season 3 triggers major backlash
Euphoria is no stranger to an eyebrow-raising moment or two ever since the series first hit our screens back in 2019.
Since then, HBO viewers have been treated to three seasons featuring a star-studded cast including the likes of Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney, just to name a handful.
The third season premiered in the UK today (13 April), and it's not taken long for TV fans to rattle through the first of the season's eight episodes.
While the second episode hasn't aired yet, it's clear that the teaser for it has proved to spark quite the controversy online already.
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Dubbed the 'baby scene', the clip in question shows Sweeney's character, Cassie Howard, sitting on a sofa with her legs spread apart.
The 28-year-old actress can be seen donning her hair in a pigtails style with her breasts visible in a sheer top.
Oh yeah, and she's sucking on a dummy the whole time.
The storyline sees Cassie, who has since left high school and is now a housewife-to-be, engaged to young developer Nate Jacobs (Elordi) - AKA her former best friend's toxic ex - trying out OnlyFans in order to make some extra cash for their upcoming wedding.
It hasn't taken long for critics to rush to social media to slam the show for 'sexualising children', with one X user slamming: "There’s a line and Sam Levinson has severely crossed it."
"This is actually disgusting," hit out a second as a third dubbed the scene a 'humiliation ritual' for Sweeney, per the Metro.
"I don’t understand how Euphoria went from the beautiful masterpiece that was s1 to Cassie being dressed as a baby doing OF," a fourth chimed in. "Sam Levinson, you will pay for ur sins."
Another outlined: "Can we talk, please, about the fact that not everything that makes us uncomfortable is automatically 'profound art'? What we see in Euphoria crosses a pretty questionable ethical line. The aesthetic that mixes childish elements with sexualisation isn’t new, but that doesn’t make it any less disturbing."
And a final X user echoed: "I was gonna give this season of Euphoria a chance, but adding age play to satisfy the pedophilic fetish of some people seems way too sick and disgusting to me.
"I can’t believe someone wrote this script, that it got accepted, that the actresses ARE OKAY WITH IT, and that HBO thinks it’s a good idea to approve its filming and airing."
Similar outrage was sparked over the 'dog scene', in which Cassie dresses up as a pooch to film more X-rated content with the first episode showing her drinking out of a bowl and acting ike a dog for a video.
Tyla has reached out to HBO and Sam Levinson's representatives for comment.
Where can I watch Euphoria season 3 in the UK?
The first episode of Euphoria season 3 landed in the UK on Monday (13 April).
Only the premiere drops on that date, as the rest roll out weekly.
Where can I watch Euphoria in the UK?
You can stream every episode on HBO Max in the UK.
It will also air on Sky Atlantic and be available via NOW, as with previous seasons.
When will the rest of Euphoria season 3 arrive in the UK?
As an HBO original, season 3 drops one episode at a time.
There are eight episodes in total, with the final instalment due on 1 June.
Here is the full UK release schedule for season 3 of Euphoria:
- Episode 1: Monday, April 13
- Episode 2: Monday, April 20
- Episode 3: Monday, April 27
- Episode 4: Monday, May 4
- Episode 5: Monday, May 11
- Episode 6: Monday, May 18
- Episode 7: Monday, May 25
- Episode 8: Monday, June 1
Topics: TV And Film, Celebrity, Sydney Sweeney, Social Media
Rhiannon Ingle