Just like the rest of the fandom, Zendaya’s mom has a lot of thoughts on the shocking last episode of Euphoria — but she doesn’t plan on sharing them! She is keeping it all to herself for the most part! Warning: Spoilers ahead if you didn’t watch the finale by now!
On Sunday night, we learned the fate of Zendaya’s beloved character, Rue Bennett, and it’s tragic! Rue, who struggled with addiction but had been sober in Season 3, died from an accidental overdose. She took painkillers laced with fentanyl given to her by drug lord Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) after he found out from her friend Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie) that she was working undercover for the DEA. Watch a TikTok edit (below):
@bbellaedits6 In her final breath, Rue is reunited with her dad. After everything she endured, she leaves this world with a smile, finally at peace. Scp: jcqscenes #ruebennett #euphoria #zendaya
What makes the end more upsetting? Her sponsor, Ali Muhammed (Colman Domingo) finds her dead on his couch in her late dad’s hoodie, and he avenges Rue by shooting Alamo during a standoff the kingpin’s strip club.
@briannaosul the ending was beautifully made!! #euphoria #ruebennett #euphoriaseason3 #fyp
@shirleytemplequeeenn i SCREAMED in this moment #euphoriaseasonfinale #euphoriaseason3episode8 #alamoshot #alamoeuphoria
Related: Sydney Sweeney Shares Behind-The-Scenes Euphoria Pics — And Leaves Zendaya Out!
It’s a heartbreaking ending for a character who already had been through so much, including grieving the death of her dad, struggling with addiction, getting wrapped up in a drug-smuggling gang, and more. And many fans aren’t thrilled with how her story played out. In fact, they’re devastated! Some are even frustrated over the somewhat hollow reactions from OG characters over Rue’s death, especially from her former partner Jules, and demanded more!
While Zendaya hasn’t said anything about the finale, her mom, Claire Stoermer, took to Instagram Stories on Monday to share she has mixed emotions about the ending but didn’t get into detail about why! She wrote:
“Lots of messages in my DM’s from people about last night’s episode. I’m gonna keep my thoughts to myself. Definitely made me sad….and other emotions as well. But just gonna leave it right there……”
Telling…
As you may recall, there was some rumored tension between Zendaya and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson ahead of Season 3! They reportedly butted heads over production delays, which sources close to him blamed on Z! She shut that down quickly, though! She also supposedly rejected several storylines for her character — though she later insisted she hadn’t “read anything yet” for the show before they started filming in early 2025. Is that the reason for Claire’s cryptic reaction to the ending? Were they unhappy with how Rue’s story played out?
As we said, Zendaya hasn’t addressed the reactions to Rue’s death. But footage at the end of the episode showed the actress delivering a heartfelt speech to the cast and crew on her last day of filming. Getting emotional, she expressed:
“I want to say thank you. I’m really grateful for every single one of you. Many of you have been here from the beginning and have watched me grow up. It’s been such a pleasure and an honor. Thank you so much.”
Anyone else wish Zendaya spilled her true thoughts about the ending now?!
What did YOU think about Euphoria‘s finale, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments (below)!
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org.
[Image via Claire Stoermer/Instagram, HBO Max/YouTube, MEGA/WENN]
