Euphoria Reveals Fate of Zendaya's Rue After Season 3 Cliffhanger

Nika King is euphoric over her HBO show cameo—but not in the way you'd expect.

The Euphoria actress—who plays mom Leslie Bennett to Zendaya's Rue Bennett character—couldn't help but laugh when she realized that her highly-anticipated season three return had been greatly reduced, resulting in an onscreen appearance that lasted mere seconds during the May 17 episode.

“I just watched the episode that I’ve been promoting all week—and my mom over here is clowning me," King quipped in an Instagram video posted shortly after the broadcast. "She said the internet waited all this time for me to just say one line."

Indeed, King only had four words in the episode. While Leslie was the one who called Rue on the phone, the scene was largely shot from the perspective of Zendaya's character as she sat alone in a church. 

After delivering a powerful speech about redemption to her mom, who she's been estranged from due to her drug addiction, the embattled high school graduate bid farewell as her mother responded, "I love you, Rue."

For King, the 10-second appearance made her "glad" to have a sense of humor. As the 47-year-old quipped in her reaction video, "You better be glad I've got thick skin."

But Leslie's part could be expanded later on in the season. After all, drug lord henchman Bishop (Darrell Britt-Gibson) made a veiled threat to Rue about her mom, saying, "It’d be real awkward if I lied to your mother, Leslie. Nice lady. Told her how well you're doing."

King first appeared on Euphoria in 2019, when the series debuted on HBO. She continued to make appearances throughout season two, which aired in 2022 before production took a three-year break.