Euphoria actress Nika King is speaking out after her long-awaited return to the HBO drama ended up lasting only a few seconds on screen.

During the May 17 episode of the hit series, King returned as Leslie Bennett, the mother of Rue, played by Zendaya.

Fans had waited years to see Leslie appear again, but the emotional phone conversation between mother and daughter mostly focused on Rue's side of the call. Near the end of the scene, the camera briefly showed Leslie, who only had one line before the moment ended. She simply told Rue, "I love you."

After the episode aired, King took to Instagram to joke about how much of her performance had been removed from the final cut. Laughing in the video, she explained that she had spent the week promoting the episode, only to realize most of her dialogue never made it on screen.

"I just watched the episode that I've been promoting all week — and my mom over here is clowning me!" King said while reacting to the scene, PageSix reported.

She added that her mother found it funny that fans had waited years for her return "to just say one line." King then joked, "You better be glad I have a sense of humor. You better be glad I've got thick skin."

Nika King Jokes About Cut "Euphoria" Season 3

The actress later revealed that she and Zendaya originally filmed a much longer back-and-forth conversation. However, viewers only heard Rue speaking as she talked about trying to make better choices and feeling exhausted by the chaos in her life.

The brief moment marked King's first appearance on the show since Season 2 aired in 2022. Many fans online quickly reacted with disappointment, saying they wished the series had included more of Leslie's side of the emotional exchange.

According to US Magazine, some viewers questioned why the scene became mostly one-sided, especially since Leslie has been an important part of Rue's story since the series began in 2019.

Others pointed out that the show included several longer scenes elsewhere in the episode that could have been shortened.

King has openly joked before about the long delays surrounding Season 3. During a stand-up comedy set in 2024, she humorously told the audience she needed the show to return because she had not worked much since Season 2 ended.

Although the actress laughed about the situation online, fans continued praising her performance and saying they missed seeing Leslie's character on screen.

Tags
Euphoria, Zendaya