Ex-Euphoria Actor's New Job Sparks Fan Outrage
Nika King is widely known for playing Leslie Bennett (aka Rue and Gia's mom) on the hit HBO series for the first two seasons.
Three years after Season 2 debuted in January 2022, it was announced that Season 3 had finally begun filming. It even included a photo of Zendaya on set for additional proof.
Delays in production were due to a slew of reasons, which ranged from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes in 2023 to alleged behind-the-scenes drama with claims of a "toxic" work environment and grueling "18-hour" workdays. During this delay, Euphoria producer Kevin Turen died in November 2023 from multiple heart issues, and Angus Cloud, who starred as the beloved Fez, tragically died of an accidental overdose at the age of 25 in July 2023.
On top of all that, two cast members revealed they had no plans on returning to the show: Barbie Ferriera announced the shocking news shortly after Season 2 ended, while Storm Reid revealed she would be focusing on other things, like graduating from USC and working on projects through her production company.
The delays also caused strain and stress for some of the cast members, including Nika. In March 2024, during one of her stand-up comedy shows posted on her TikTok, the actor and comedian admitted she was having trouble paying her rent because filming for Euphoria was taking so long to commence.
'People are like, 'We need Season 3.' I'm like, 'Bitch, I need Season 3. I haven't paid my rent in six months. I thought my career was on the rise after Euphoria. I thought I was good. It don't work that way. I called Taraji [P. Henson} and she was like, 'Bitch, get used to it.''While she recently starred in the American drama film Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, we should note that filming for it began back in 2022.
Fast forward to February 2025, Nika announced her "character is not coming back to the show," after she received tons of DMs and comments asking about Season 3. "Unfortunately, I'm not [returning]," she said in a video posted online. "My character is not coming back to the show, but I am forever grateful to HBO, Zendaya, and Sam Levinson for giving me the opportunity to come on set."
"Without Euphoria, I was not able to step into who I am as an actor."
Fans showered her with words of encouragement on her future endeavors, while also expressing sadness that they won't see her in future episodes.
But concern for Nika grew when she recently shared a video of her cleaning what appeared to be a restaurant kitchen. She captioned the clip, "When ppl ask me if I'm filming S3 of Euphoria?" while the caption for the post read, "A job is a job."
Reactions ranged from saying how "fucked up" it is that her promising acting career led her to a non-Hollywood position, to applause for her vulnerability in sharing the realities of being a struggling actor in the industry:
At first glance, I had similar thoughts, but I quickly found out there was more to her post than meets the eye. After noticing she tagged an account on the post I checked the page out, and discovered Nika not only works in that kitchen, but she co-owns the establishment it's located in.
The account is linked to Blue Tree Cafe, a vegan soul food restaurant run by Nika and her mother, Sharon Allen. The page was a pleasant surprise because the food looks delicious, and their playful relationship shines in their videos.
And once others caught on as well,
But owning a restaurant is no easy feat either. Nika hopped on a popular social media trend where people show how they mask their true emotions while dealing with a crisis — and for Nika, that was the current status of the restaurant. Nika and her mother also set up a GoFundMe as a way to help the establishment from closing.
I truly appreciate the transparency, even if it's done through laughter. I don't know about you, but I'm wishing Nika success in all of her passions — acting, comedy, and restaurateur.
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