Despite Euphoria's series finale airing weeks ago, the discourse about Sam Levinson's third and final season of the Emmy-winning series (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription) is still ongoing. There's been a ton of chatter about Cassie's OnlyFans storyline, and now the creator/director/writer has shared why he made that bold narrative choice.
There was backlash to Euphoria's OnlyFans story immediately after the episodes began airing, once gain proving why the show is a HBO show that got the world talking. Levinson recently appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher, where he opened up about why he made Cassie into a OF creator. He started by saying:
If you look at OnlyFans, it is making as much money as Hollywood. I mean, essentially it’s on par. It’s not a niche business, it is a massive enterprise.
That's a pretty wild fact if you think about it, and shows just how popular OnlyFans ultimately is. Creators are able to make a ton of money from this as a result, which is exactly what Cassie and Nate needed after their wedding on Euphoria. And just like that, Sydney Sweeney's signature character joined the adult-oriented website.
During his same TV appearance, Levinson spoke about why OnlyFans is so appealing to folks, especially young people who are hoping to make money quick rather than paying their dues at a traditional 9-5. As he put it:
So if you’re young, you’re going like, ‘I don’t want to go work in a nine to five at this place or that thing. Well, maybe I can just start taking photos of myself?’ You know, the question is: ‘What are the long-term consequences of that?’ What happens as a young person and you’re on Instagram and these things and you’re told that you’re the product, you’re the brand.
While Sydney Sweeney admitted she wouldn't make the same decisions as Cassie, she also understands why her character joined OnlyFans. Because on top of desperately needing money to save Nate's life, Cassie also deeply wants to feel like she's adored. Having fans on that website did both.
Sam Levinson spoke more about the controversial decision to have his character go this career route post-High School, offering:
Now you’re out, you’re 18 years old, you’re going, ‘Well, how do I make money?’ I just thought chasing that desire, that kind of fast cash, was an interesting thing to kind of explore. We caught a lot of criticism for it, but there’s a part of me that wonders if the show kind of affirmed this life and how ‘empowering’ it was whether we would get the same criticism? We took a fairly critical look at it. It hollows out the individual; you’re constantly just depending on the likes and external validation.
Clearly Sam Levinson and company have seen the discourse about Cassie going on OnlyFans. Some folks took umbrage with this decision, as well as the way Sydney Sweeney's nudity was used to bring the story together. But it sounds like the Euphoria creator stands by his decision, and the discourse might have actually help him feel even more affirmed.
Euphoria is streaming in its entirety over on HBO Max as part of the 2026 TV schedule. The show has ended for good, and I'm curious to see how long the chatter about Season 3 continues.
