“Euphoria” star Nika King jokes she hasn't 'paid my rent in 6 months' amid season 3 delays

"People are like, 'We need season 3,' and I'm like, bitch, I need season 3!"

Euphoria star Nika King is looking forward to the HBO series' long-awaited third season just as much as its loyal fan base — but not for the reason you might expect.

The actress — who stars as Leslie, the mother of Zendaya's character, Rue — joked during a recent stand-up comedy gig that she needs the show to come back as soon as possible because she has bills to pay.

"Don't ask me [when season 3 is coming out]. I don't f---ing know," she said in footage from the event posted on her TikTok account. "People are like, 'We need season 3,' and I'm like, bitch, I need season 3! I haven’t paid my rent in six months."

Last November, HBO boss Casey Bloys announced that the high school drama would be returning for its next season in 2025. Series creator Sam Levinson previously described the upcoming installment as a "film noir" that would "explore what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world" through Zendaya's character.

During her stand-up set, King joked that it was Zendaya, currently promoting her new film Dune: Part Two, who's holding up production. She teased, "Zendaya's over in Paris at Fashion Week, and I'm like, 'Bitch, come home! I need you! Mama needs you.'"

When the crowd began to laugh, King quipped that the award-winning show hasn't had the life-changing effect on her career that she assumed it would. "Y'all laughing and I'm serious," she said. "I haven't booked nothing since Euphoria. This is some bulls---!"

She continued: "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.'" (Henson previously told EW that there have been "times when I just wanted to quit" acting because she was "tired of fighting" for roles.)

In a statement provided to EW on Friday, King confirmed that her comments were all in good fun. "My reference about Euphoria during my stand up tour was a lighthearted joke. Most people have seen me portray serious characters on-screen but my roots are in comedy," she said. "I actually have a few film projects releasing this year that I’m excited about. It's a blessing to craft a career in both drama and comedy."

King's IMDb page lists a few forthcoming projects: season 3 of Euphoria, a film titled Possum Trot, and a short called The Rebel Girls.

Meanwhile, she isn't the only Euphoria star to address the lengthy stretch of time that has passed since season 2 aired back in 2022. While visiting The Tonight Show in January, Jacob Elordi said he's expecting the next installment to feature a time jump because "otherwise they're going to have to Benjamin Button me or something" in order to play a high schooler.

He added, "I'm assuming that we'll have to go forward, otherwise it's gonna seem like a weird bit."

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.