Fact Check: Are Zendaya And Sydney Sweeney Really Refusing To Work Together?

There is a fresh round of whispery internet gossip claiming Zendaya does not want to team up with Sydney Sweeney for the next wave of Euphoria press. Before you picture a full-blown feud, take a breath. This is coming from an online commentator, not the show, the network, or either actor. So, fun to dissect, but not gospel.

Where this rumor is coming from

The claim started with Sloan Hooks, a self-described pop culture investigator, who says Zendaya is protecting her A-list status and wants distance from Sweeney and her recent PR headaches.

"Zendaya has always been a star, but since the last season of Euphoria, she has bumped up to an A-lister, and I don't think she wants Sydney Sweeney's drama dragging her down."

Hooks also suggests Sweeney would happily do promo with everyone and holds no grudges, but that Zendaya (fresh off Dune and a massive few years) is wary of being tied to Sweeney's more controversial brand deals.

Important caveat: none of this is confirmed. No statements from Zendaya, Sweeney, or HBO. The sourcing is unverified, and until someone on the record says otherwise, this sits firmly in the rumor pile.

Why Sydney Sweeney keeps trending for the wrong reasons

Sweeney has had a string of splashy, sometimes messy headlines lately. Some are genuine marketing stunts, some are internet overreactions, and all of them are the kind of thing publicists hate right before a big press run.

• 2022 mom's birthday party: She posted photos from a 60th birthday for her mom that featured guests in Blue Lives Matter shirts and red hats styled like MAGA caps reading 'Make Sixty Great Again.' The internet called it a MAGA-themed party. Sweeney pushed back on X, calling it an innocent celebration that got turned into an absurd political statement. She later told Variety there were a lot of misinterpretations and said some people in those images were not her family.
• Dr. Squatch soap: A tongue-in-cheek collaboration called 'Sydney's Bathwater Bliss' leaned into the meme-y idea that the soap was infused with her used bathwater. It was clearly a gimmick, but the optics did what the optics do.
• American Eagle ad: A 'jeans/genes' pun in a campaign led some critics to accuse the spot of pushing a superiority message, even tossing around the eugenics word. Sweeney told GQ she was surprised by the reaction, emphasized she basically lives in jeans, and said she knew the ad was about one thing: great jeans. She also said she didn't see much of the online pile-on because she was filming long hours.
• Her dating life: She's drawn heat for reportedly dating Scooter Braun. The two have been seen together repeatedly since meeting at Jeff Bezos' wedding, and TMZ says they are indeed in a relationship.

Euphoria season 3: What's actually happening

Here's the stuff that is not rumor. Season 3 started filming in February and is aiming for a 2026 release window (per Teen Vogue). The season will jump forward in time and move the characters beyond high school. Zendaya has said she's excited to explore Rue navigating sobriety in that next chapter.

The core cast is back: Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer, Maude Apatow, Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie, and more. New faces include musician Rosalia, Super Bowl champ Marshawn Lynch, and Kadeem Hardison in undisclosed roles. Also joining: Darrell Britt-Gibson, Priscilla Delgado, James Landry Hebert, and Anna Van Patten. Deadline has also reported Sharon Stone among the season's guests.

Season 3 is set for eight episodes. Could it be the last? HBO drama chief Francesca Orsi told Deadline that it has been discussed as the end, while leaving wiggle room, and promised fans would be very satisfied by where it lands.

The read

Could Zendaya and Sweeney keep their press lanes separate for strategic reasons? Entirely possible in today's PR climate. Is it confirmed? Not even close. Until someone official says so, file this under speculative chatter while we wait for a time-jumped, eight-episode season that might wrap the series. If anything changes, I'll update. For now, the only sure thing is Euphoria is back in motion and stacking an intriguing cast for its next act.