Sydney Sweeney triggers outrage with 'embarrassing' Euphoria scene involving sex toy and Bible
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the finale of Euphoria
The Euphoria season 3 finale gave fans plenty to process: an overdose, a murder, and what looked like a series-ending goodbye to some of TV's most chaotic characters.
But one scene, tucked away and barely acknowledged by the show itself, ended up dominating social media for an entirely different reason.
Of course, it involved Sydney Sweeney, a sex toy, and the Bible being read aloud in the same room.
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All season, Sweeney's character Cassie Howard had been leaning into her OnlyFans persona, barely-there outfits, X-rated content, and the full chaotic spiral.
By the finale, though, Cassie appeared to be turning over a new leaf. She'd deleted her account, toned down the wardrobe, and swapped the skintight lingerie for a pink jumpsuit with a more put-together look to match.
Creator Sam Levinson seemed to be signalling that Cassie had moved on. Then came the scene.
A scene involving a sex toy and the Bible
While Cassie's sister Lexi (Maude Apatow) opened up about her guilt over the way things ended with Rue, and began reading passages from the Bible, Cassie was sat there casually handling a sex toy.
The contrast wasn't subtle. Levinson clearly intended it as character comedy, a last nod to who Cassie is beneath the reinvention. Viewers were considerably less amused.
The reaction online was swift. "Sam Levinson is really using the holy bible in sexual stuff for his show and making Sydney Sweeney do blasphemy and unserious things with a dildo in her hands while the bible is there… This is sick," one person wrote on X.
"This is so embarrassing and unserious, talking about the holy bible while you are holding a dildo and doing sexual stuff? What is wrong with Sydney Sweeney???" said another.
Others took a more bemused approach: "Lexi is talking about the bible, Rue, her dad, her trauma, the purpose of life and that bitch Cassie is sitting there playing with her fkn dildos…"
"Cassie put the dildo down when you're talking to Lexi omfggg," another added. "This is is a really odd like lexi is having a religious awakening while cassie is cleaning off dildos idk it's a lot"
Is Euphoria actually over?
The scene aside, the finale felt conclusive in a way that has fans convinced the show is done.
The episode centred largely on Rue's fatal overdose and Ali's (Colman Domingo) revenge against the dealer responsible, while most other characters got what looked like final send-offs.
Levinson has told Variety he has 'no plans' for a fourth season, and approached season three as the end - though nothing has been officially confirmed, despite the deaths of multiple main characters and the apparent closing of most storylines.
Whether it's the last we see of Cassie Howard or not, she made sure nobody's forgetting her in a hurry.
All of the sex trends featured on Euphoria this season
This season of Euphoria has been notable for featuring a whole host of niche kinks, leaving baffled viewers Googling to confirm that yes, that is a real thing.
Macrophilia
In episode five, a fantasy sequence saw Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) grow to outlandish proportions, turning into a giant who terrorizes LA.
Macrophilia is a fetish involving giants, and giantesses, or an extreme size difference
Sex therapist Courtney Boyer told Metro: “Giantess fantasies tend to fixate on a permanently large female figure and the power dynamic that comes with that, while growth eroticizes the change.
“It’s primarily imagination-led. Think consensual roleplay, guided dirty talk, camera perspective play (making someone appear larger than they are), or animation. It’s less about the physical reality and more about immersing yourself in a shared fantasy.”
Sploshing
Episode two saw Cassie dipping her toe into creating OnlyFans content. One video saw her holding a melting ice cream while topless, with the drips running down her breasts.
This is a fetish called sploshing, also known as WAM (wet and messy). It involves the eroticization of food.
Sex psychotherapist Gigi Engle for SexToys.co.uk, told Metro: “Dripping chocolate over somebody is very popular and the other popular thing is filling a bath with jelly and getting in it and feeling the squishiness.”
Mummification
In episode three, Jules (Hunter Schafer) finds herself having extreme sex with her sugar daddy Ellis, who at one point wraps her in clingfilm.
This is an example of a mummification fetish, where cling film, duct tape or bandages are used to restrict movement.
Dominatrix Melissa Todd told LADbible: “You want to be out of control and it's a kind of bondage that you do without any sort of pain really. You know, [the sub who is mummified is] literally tucked away and you can't wriggle a single inch.”
The episode aired weeks before real-life OnlyFans model Michaela Rylaarsdam pleaded guilty to accidentally killing her client, who died of asphyxiation after he asked her to wrap him in cling film.
Age play
The Euphoria scene which caused the most controversy came in episode two, when Cassie posed with pigtails and a dummy, with underwear which resembled a diaper.
Sex therapist Dr Nazanin Moali explained to Mashable that age play ‘is a type of consensual adult role play in which individuals experiment with being in a different age/role than their current developmental phase’.
Ironically, posting that kind of content could have got Cassie banned from OnlyFans in the real world.
The site’s rules prohibit any ‘illegal activity, including actual, claimed, or role-played: exploitation, abuse, or harm of individuals under the age of 18’.
Pup play
Cast your mind all the way back to episode one, which saw Cassie don puppy ears and a dog collar for a video. Seems pretty tame after everything we’ve seen since, doesn’t it?
LGBTQ+ outlet Them explained that pup play ‘is all about tapping into your primal self as a pup and engaging in an authentic type of play’.
It went on: “Think rolling around on the ground, playing fetch, and generally releasing the stress of human existence in exchange for the euphoria and full-body experience of being a pup.”
Topics: Euphoria, Sydney Sweeney, HBO
Thomas Bamford