The latest season of Euphoria hasn’t even settled into its run and already the culture war has arrived on schedule.
Megyn Kelly lit the fuse this week, taking aim at both the HBO drama and its breakout star Sydney Sweeney after a trailer for season three showed Sweeney’s character, Cassie Howard, posed in a baby costume while filming content tied to an OnlyFans storyline.
Speaking on The Megyn Kelly Show alongside hosts from the Ruthless podcast, the former Fox News anchor didn’t mince words. Kelly argued the imagery crossed a cultural line, calling it an example of “sexualizing infancy” and questioning why audiences — and actors — continue to accept increasingly provocative storytelling as mainstream entertainment.
The scene in question arrives amid wider criticism surrounding Euphoria’s reputation for pushing sexual boundaries. Since the season premiere dropped Sunday, viewers have again debated whether the show’s hyper-stylized portrayal of young adulthood reflects reality or simply escalates shock value for attention.
Kelly directed most of her criticism toward creator Sam Levinson, accusing him of relying heavily on nudity and sexual provocation to drive narrative impact. Referencing past reports that some cast members felt uneasy with the show’s level of exposure, she suggested actresses may tolerate controversial scenes in pursuit of career momentum.
“At a minimum a jerk — and more than likely a problem,” Kelly said of Levinson, arguing Hollywood has lost sight of where audiences draw the line.
Sweeney herself became collateral damage in the discussion. Kelly expressed surprise that the actress agreed to several scenes highlighted in the premiere, including a moment where Cassie adopts animalistic behavior for her on-screen partner Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi.
Ironically, Kelly admitted she has not watched the series in full, speculating instead that the storyline could be intended as commentary on modern porn culture and the normalization of platforms like OnlyFans — a career path Cassie explores within the show’s narrative.
The criticism marks another chapter in Kelly’s complicated public relationship with Sweeney. The commentator previously defended the actress during backlash over her American Eagle campaign centered on the “good jeans/genes” slogan, praising Sweeney’s handling of the controversy. Months later, however, Kelly openly criticized a sheer red-carpet gown worn by the actress, arguing it revealed too much.
Sweeney’s name surfaced again in Kelly’s commentary last summer following the actress’s appearance at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s high-profile wedding, where Kelly questioned how quickly Hollywood had elevated her status, attributing much of the attention to intense public fixation on her image.
Outside Kelly’s show, scrutiny surrounding Sweeney continues to build. Political debates sparked by her advertising campaigns and mixed critical reactions to Euphoria’s newest season have turned the actress into something larger than a TV star — a lightning rod for arguments about fame, sexuality, and the evolving rules of celebrity in the algorithm era.
Whether Euphoria is cultural commentary or calculated provocation remains the real question. What’s clear is that the show still knows how to dominate the conversation — and Sydney Sweeney remains at the center of it.
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Last modified: April 16, 2026
