Zendaya Issues Warning to ‘Euphoria' Viewers Ahead of Season 2 Premiere

Despite being a teen drama, the HBO series features extremely mature themes. The show's star is making sure viewers are prepared before watching

Zendaya
eff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO

Ahead of the highly-anticipated season two premiere of the HBO hit “Euphoria,” Zendaya posted a message on her Instagram cautioning viewers about the show’s content.

On Sunday, Zendaya shared a blurry photo of herself next to a bike and in the caption she wrote, “A reminder before tonight…” 

The second slide of the post featured a warning to “Euphoria” fans before the show returns Sunday night. She wrote, “I know I’ve said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that Euphoria is for mature audiences. This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch.”

Zendaya asked viewers to “Please only watch it if you feel comfortable.”

She ended the post, writing, “Take care of yourself and know that either way you are still loved and I can still feel your support. All my love, Daya.” 

In “Euphoria,” the 25-year-old actor portrays a teen named Rue who struggles with drug addiction. Season one of the teen drama series showed Rue’s classmates also struggling with substance abuse, anxiety and body image issues.

Before the show premiered in 2019, Zendaya issued a similar viewer discretion warning to prepare fans for the adult themes “Euphoria” tackles. 

“Just a reminder before tonight’s premiere, that Euphoria is for mature audiences. It’s a raw and honest portrait of addiction, anxiety and the difficulties of navigating life today,” she wrote at the time. “There are scenes that are graphic, hard to watch and can be triggering. Please only watch if you feel you can handle it. Do what’s best for you. I will still love you and feel your support. Love, Daya.” 

Based on the trailer for the new season, “Euphoria” will continue to address these dark and emotional topics. The teaser clip shows Rue attending a 12-step meeting while carrying a mysterious, large suitcase. 

The show’s sophomore season was initially delayed in 2020 due to the pandemic. Zendaya spoke about the pause in production during her interview with MJ Rodriguez for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” the same year.  

“I can’t complain. I’m very lucky to be safe and healthy and still know that I have a job, ‘Euphoria,’ that will be there,” she shared. “I think all we ever wanted was for people to feel seen through our work. And so that’s all I want to continue to do, to show the human side of what addiction does to a person. Hopefully, I get to get back into my Chucks and do it again.” 

Almost two years later, “Euphoria” is finally back Sunday, Jan. 9 at 9:00 p.m ET on HBO.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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