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Why Did Dusty Leave Heartbreak High? Josh Heuston's Reduced Role In Season 2 Explained

18 April 2024, 16:54

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Fans can't get enough of Heartbreak High season 2 but there's one question on everyone's lips: What happened to Dusty?

As soon as Heartbreak High debuted on Netflix in 2022, fans fell in love with Josh Heuston's character Dustin “Dusty” Reid. From being Amerie's longterm crush to having threesomes with Harper and Malakai, viewers couldn't get enough of the bisexual musician and his chaotic season 1 storylines.

However, cut to Heartbreak High season 2 and Dusty only makes a brief appearance in the show. So where is he and why isn't Josh Heuston in more of season 2?

Read more: Is Cash Asexual In Heartbreak High? Will McDonald Opens Up About His Character's Sexuality

Why Did Dusty Leave Heartbreak High? Josh Heuston's Reduced Role In Season 2 Explained. Picture: HBO

Dusty's absence is explained at the start of Heartbreak High season 2. In the first episode, Ant makes a crude joke to Harper about being able to fill in "any holes left by Dusty". Harper is confused and Spider then explains that Dusty was kicked out of Hartley after he falsely accused SLT and English teacher JoJo of having a sexual relationship with Amerie.

Dusty does go onto appear in a scene later in the season where Darren confides him. However, he doesn't interact with any of the other characters in season 2 and the rest of the narrative moves on without him.

So why was Josh only a guest star in season 2? Well, fans have deduced that it probably comes down to Josh's role as Constantine in the upcoming Dune prequel series Dune: Prophecy. Josh is yet to speak about it but it seems likely that filming clashed with the two shows and, as a result, he had had to reduce his role in Heartbreak High.

Nevertheless, Josh has still been supportive of the show. To celebrate the release of season 2, he posted a carousel of photos on Instagram with the caption: "proud of you all."

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A post shared by Josh Heuston (@jheuston)

Will Dusty be in Heartbreak High season 3?

Based on season 2, it seems unlikely that Dusty will return in season 3. However, the show leaves things open enough that Josh can come back if his schedule allows. Whether or not the show is renewed for a third season is still yet to be seen.

What do you think? Did you miss Dusty in season 2?