Inside Sydney Sweeney and Zendaya’s Feud: ‘Nobody Expects Them Just to Shake Hands and Make Up’ (Exclusive)

Sydney Sweeney and Zendaya’s storied feud is reaching nuclear proportions ahead of the premiere of Euphoria’s long-awaited third season, a source tells Star.

“They were mostly sequestered from one another during the making of,” reveals the source, adding that each actress has their own separate storylines that barely overlap. “But the bad blood between the two of them is a drag on promoting the show.”

On Wednesday, March 11, HBO Max released a teaser video on Instagram featuring behind-the-scenes footage of Zendaya, 29, posing for photos with costars Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie and Maude Apatow. Notably missing from the shoot was Sweeney, 28, whose rep told TMZ that she was simply filming her scenes at the time.

“A root problem here is that there’s no getting around how close Zendaya is to the man who made both her and Sydney famous,” the source says of Euphoria showrunner and creator Sam Levinson. “Zendaya has always enjoyed a kind of ‘teacher’s pet’ status on that show that has been difficult for Sydney to navigate, especially when she’s been asked to do much more extreme scenes in that series.”

Sweeney’s also “had to fight for more of her opportunities than Zendaya has,” Star’s source notes, adding that the blonde bombshell “has finally proven herself in a huge way” with the massive success of The Housemaid, which is getting a sequel after grossing nearly $400 million worldwide, per Variety.

“This should be a time for Sydney to celebrate that win and be focused on her future,” notes the source. “But promoting the [upcoming] season of Euphoria has just dragged her and Zendaya back into their bitter rivalry.”

One that seemingly has no end.

“They are both going to be movie stars for years to come, and this fight could grind on for decades,” the source fears. “Nobody expects them just to shake hands and make up for the sake of more smoothly promoting their show’s final season, and that’s a real problem.”