Jacob Elordi's Season 3 Euphoria performance called out as Sydney Sweeney subject to 'humiliation ritual'

Fans have waited four years for the return of Euphoria to be seemingly left disappointed...

The once-popular HBO show debuted in 2019 and quickly became a fan favorite. Starring Zendaya as the lead of Rue, her fellow cast mates have found similar success since starring on the show — a perfect example being Oscar-nominated actor Jacob Elordi, who plays Nate.

The first two seasons of Euphoria received critical acclaim, but season three has been branded 'an expensive mistake', with it reportedly costing $200 million to make, per MailOnline.

While season one has an audience score of 84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, season three has had quite the fall from grace and has just 51 percent.

One key complaint viewers have had is the oversexualization of the show. While it's always had adult themes, seemingly season three is racier than ever in light of Cassie (Sydney Sweeney's character) starting an OnlyFans page.

In one controversial scene, Cassie and Nate engage in 'pup play' where Cassie dresses up as a dog. Some have branded this as a 'humiliation ritual'.

Elsewhere, people have criticized Elordi's performance and suggested he's 'physically forcing himself through every take'.

Somebody said on Twitter: "You can tell Jacob Elordi is just doing #euphoria season 3 for the money because his heart isn’t in it."

"Jacob Elordi said f**k the acting this season or any other season of Euphoria," said a second.

A third penned of season three: "Jacob Elordi's acting this season feels off idk maybe just me."

A handful of others suggested that the Wuthering Heights star has 'checked out'.

Cassie finally tamed Nate Jacobs.pic.twitter.com/qNAIQ9SsJN

— Sydney Sweeney Fans (@sweeneydailyx) April 13, 2026

But not everyone was critical of Elordi's performance in the first episode.

"Jacob Elordi’s role as Nate on Euphoria is one of the best tv performances, genuinely so triggering so scary so unnerving," said someone of the latest season so far. "Sends a chill down my spine every time he’s on screen."

A different Euphoria fan insisted: "His acting was good, the screenplay was cringe and trash. He did what he could with what was given to him."

"I didn’t know people didn’t like Jacob Elordi’s acting in the first episode. Legit felt like he was out-acting Sydney in them scenes," added another.

Ahead of the release of season three, Elordi appeared on The Tonight Show, where host Jimmy Fallon asked: "Can you give me a line or something that describes this season?"

The actor ambiguously replied: "I think a good phrase for my season is 'white fritillaries'. Do with that what you will."

There are another seven episodes to be released of the latest season of Euphoria, with the second dropping on HBO on Sunday (April 19), so hopefully we'll soon get more of an understanding of what Elordi meant.

UNILAD have approached Elordi's reps for comment.