HBO’s new original series The Idol has proven to be one of the most polarizing shows of the year. The series, created by Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson, Reza Fahim, and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, tells the story of a young pop star named Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) who falls in love with a cult-leader named Tedros (The Weeknd).
Many fans have panned the series, likening the show’s graphic sex scenes and gratuitous nudity to those of “softcore porn.”
After PopCrave tweeted “#TheIdol will reportedly not return for a second season,” Oreo responded from their official account, saying, “finally some good news.”
Though the interaction took place nearly a week ago, The Weeknd only caught wind of it this morning (June 21).
Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye is still reacting to people’s reactions about his show with Sam Levinson, HBO’s The Idol. While the series is only three episodes in, it has become quite a hot topic online, particularly over whether it’s actually good.
Earlier this morning, The Weeknd put out a meme of sorts, which featured a photo of his Idol character and the caption, “Tedros Nation Rise.” Obviously, users had a lot of thoughts about this post.
“Trying the meme the show to be good now YIKES,” one person quoted.
The Weeknd wound up replying right back. “Nope people who hate it decided a long time ago… it’s fine. If you hate it don’t watch it. And let the fans enjoy… simple,” he told the person.
nope people who hate it decided a long time ago… it’s fine. If you hate it don’t watch it. And let the fans enjoy… simple. https://t.co/qv1SKOo4ho
Over the past few days, the musician has been trying to change people’s minds about the show, and not just stan Twitter. The Weeknd found today that even Oreo’s Twitter account was piling onto the Idol hate. “Oh f*ck they been talkin sh*t,” he reacted.
“Naw I can’t beef with you @Oreo too many beautiful memories… I’m dunking you in some champagne tonight,” The Weeknd added in a separate tweet.
naw I can’t beef with you @Oreo too many beautiful memories… I’m dunking you in some champagne tonight pic.twitter.com/5iHhfpkVzf
He’s even started retweeting an “Out Of Context The Idol” account and searching keywords for what others are saying about the show — praising the positive and discouraging the negative.
The Weeknd has been catching a whole lot of flack for his brand-new show, The Idol. The show was created by himself and the likes of Sam Levinson. Overall, Levinson is a controversial figure, especially when you consider the themes found in shows like Euphoria. As for The Idol, there is a lot of sex, abuse, and all kinds of harassment. Ultimately, it is not a show for the faint of heart. Although, most of the criticism stems from the cringy writing and bad acting from Abel.
Throughout the last few weeks, The Weeknd hasn’t been shy when responding to the hate. For instance, he has consistently gone back and forth with fans on Twitter. Additionally, he has done a few interviews in which he has defended the show and what it stands for. In a recent interview with Variety, the artist revealed that he always knew the show was going to be controversial. Furthermore, he sees this entire series as an educational one.
Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) le 23 mai 2023 à Cannes. (Photo by Laurent KOFFEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
“We’re playing with genres with this show, we’re doing exactly what we wanted to do,” The Weeknd said. “And none of this is a surprise. I’m excited for everyone to watch the rest of the show. […] “It’s almost educational, that this is what comes with being incredibly famous. You’re surrounded by people who you’re not sure what their true intentions are, even if it seems like they’re good. You just never know.” No matter what, it is clear that The Weeknd and Levinson believe in their new show.
While some fans continue to rail about the new show, it remains clear that this will continue to be a huge hit. At this point, there is really nothing anyone involved with the series can do about it. However, if the series improves as each episode goes on, then perhaps people will change their minds. Let us know what you think of this series so far, in the comments section down below.
In a recent interview, The Weeknd said of the mixed response to his HBO show The Idol, “I’m loving it. It’s definitely shaken up the culture for sure [laughs]. We knew we were making something dark and controversial but true to what we want to say.”
Just because he’s loving it, though, doesn’t mean he’s going to take any guff on Twitter without pushing back.
In one tweet from today (June 20), he replied to a Twitter user, writing, “Go cry about it more.” The original tweet is no longer available, but based on the user’s Twitter activity, they appear to be a fan of Jennie and Blackpink. So, presumably, their now-deleted tweet had something to do with Jennie and her role on the show.
In response to The Weeknd, another user tweeted, “N****s crying bout yo acting tho.” The Weeknd then got personal, replying, “Bruh if you don’t shave that sh*t stain off your chin LOL.”
After that, the user from the original now-deleted tweet returned with a screenshot of The Weeknd from the show, which was presumably intended to be unflattering, and wrote, “IK YOURE NOT TALKING WHEN U LOOK HIDEOUS LIKE THIS.” It appears the user changed their profile image between their first and second tweet, as The Weeknd responded, “not you again LOL you thought I wouldn’t recognize you cause you changed your DP… dropping that Jennie song this weekend for you! Get the bucket ready [single tear emoji].”
not you again LOL you thought I wouldn’t recognize you cause you changed your DP… dropping that Jennie song this weekend for you! Get the bucket ready https://t.co/VRrndMgvpB
That last tweet probably stirred mixed feelings from the Twitter user: While they’re in a spat with The Weeknd, it at least looks like a new Jennie song is dropping soon.
The Weeknd went back and forth with users on Twitter, Tuesday, regarding his ongoing HBO series, The Idol. When trolls criticized his acting skills, he decided to fire back in a series of posts on the site.
“Go cry about it more,” the singer said to one user. When another came at him, The Weeknd responded, “Bruh if you don’t shave that sh*t stain off your chin LOL.” That comment caused another user to share a picture of The Weeknd in character for the show: “IK YOURE NOT TALKING WHEN U LOOK HIDEOUS LIKE THIS.” The Weeknd replied: “Not you again LOL you thought I wouldn’t recognize you cause you changed your DP… dropping that Jennie song this weekend for you! Get the bucket ready [single tear emoji].”
American director, screenwriter, actor and television producer Sam Levinson, French-American actress and model Lily-Rose Depp, Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actor Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (The Weeknd), the South African singer, actor and youtuber Troye Sivan (Troye Sivan Mellet) and the American actress Jane Adams at Cannes Film Festival 2023. The Idol Photocall. Cannes (France), May 23rd, 2023 (Photo by Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
On the same day as The Weeknd’s Twitter tirade, Variety published an interview with him in which he discussed The Idol. The Weeknd explained that his goal was for the show to reassess the meaning of fame. “Well, my goal was for people to feel that way when they watch it, you know, and that they’ll reassess [fame],” he said.
The Weeknd Goes At It With Fans
He continued: “It’s almost educational, that this is what comes with being incredibly famous. You’re surrounded by people who you’re not sure what their true intentions are, even if it seems like they’re good. You just never know. But of course, I’ve been very fortunate to have people around me that I’ve known almost my entire life, which is important, and is a gift.” Check out The Weeknd’s back-and-forth with fans on Twitter below.
not you again LOL you thought I wouldn’t recognize you cause you changed your DP… dropping that Jennie song this weekend for you! Get the bucket ready https://t.co/VRrndMgvpB
The third episode of The Idolcame and went on Sunday night (June 18). There’s some confusion over viewership or whether it will demand a second season on HBO, and The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) is “loving” the controversy, but people can count on Tesfaye to release The Idol singles after each episode of the first season.
This week, we got “A Lesser Man” and “Take Me Back” from The Weeknd, as well as “Get It B4” from Moses Sumney.
The Idol aired its premiere episode on June 4. The following Wednesday, June 7, Tesfaye shared his plan to release singles rather than wait until the season finale to drop the soundtrack in full.
“I was planning on dropping the whole soundtrack for idol by the finale, but I’m too hyped… instead, I wanna drop new music from the show every week with each episode,” he captioned an Instagram post. “I’m excited for you guys to hear what we’ve been cooking and all these incredible artists that are a part of this show… this week… Jocelyn’s pop song ‘world class sinner’ and ‘the lure’ (theme score)… episode 2 this Sunday [purple devil emoji].”
The Idol was co-created by Tesfaye, Sam Levinson (Euphoria), and Reza Fahim. Tesfaye stars as Tedros, “a nightclub impresario with a sordid past” who develops a troubling (to say the least) relationship with Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), a pop star on the back end of a nervous breakdown, according to the show’s official synopsis.
The next Idol episode is scheduled to air on HBO on Sunday, June 25, at 9 p.m. EST. All episodes become available to stream on Max.
Listen to latest singles from The Idol above and below.
Madonna is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
**Trigger Warning: The following recap deals with themes of mental and physical abuse**
Throughout episodes 1 and 2 of The Idol, we were introduced to Jocelyn, a pop star who is gearing up for her comeback album. Following the death of her mom, she is learning to function again, to varying results. Moreover, we were introduced to Tedros, a shady club owner who takes a special interest in Jocelyn. The two are embarking on a relationship that is likely to be filled with toxicity and shenanigans. In Episode 3, “Daybreak,” it becomes clear that Tedros is an abuser who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
The Weeknd on the red carpet premiere of “The Idol” at Cannes Film Festival. ” class=”wp-image-688826″ srcset=”https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-weeknd-2-1-1024×683.jpg 1024w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-weeknd-2-1-300×200.jpg 300w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-weeknd-2-1-768×512.jpg 768w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-weeknd-2-1-1536×1024.jpg 1536w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-weeknd-2-1-2048×1365.jpg 2048w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-weeknd-2-1-1500×1000.jpg 1500w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 23: Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye attends “The Idol” photocall at the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2023 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/FilmMagic)
Firstly, the episode begins with Leia driving Tedros and Jocelyn who are in the backseat of a convertible. The two begin to hook up in an explicit fashion in broad daylight, much to the chagrin of Leia. Subsequently, they get to the Valentino store where Tedros immediately begins to control the situation. He starts to pick out Joss’ clothes and even threatens one of the stylists. The stylist had looked at Jocelyn in a way that Tedros didn’t like, which ultimately led to the exchange of pleasantries. This all prompts Leia to call Chaim and Destiny, who are already sketched out about Tedros.
Additionally, this phone call leads to a flashback in which Tedros calls Leia an ableist slur over breakfast. Moreover, he gets mad at Jocelyn’s team member Andres, who compliments her body. Tedros makes vague threats toward the man and then forces Jocelyn to fire him on the spot. She goes ahead and does it, which fills Leia with existential dread over how Tedros has taken over the house.
After the shopping spree, Chaim and Destiny meet Tedros for the first time. It is here that we learn that Jocelyn has scrapped her entire album and only has a few weeks to submit something. However, Chaim is a huge fan of the song that Tedros and Joss recorded together. He is subsequently floored by the revelation that Mike Dean is coming over to help produce some records. Despite Leia’s efforts to get Joss’ managers involved, they come out loving Tedros, and the existential dread sets in, once again.
Tedros then has a conversation with Xander, Joss’ creative director. Xander reveals that he is creatively spent as Joss’ team doesn’t really allow for very much creativity. Furthermore, Joss herself has been very hesitant to take risks. He then suggests that they should make the sexually explicit photo her next album cover. Unsurprisingly, Tedros is absolutely in love with this idea and it leads to a bit of a bond between the two. It now seems like Tedros has found a “competent” person within Joss’ camp that he can trust.
As for Jocelyn, she goes to a recording session with Chloe, Izaak, and more of Tedros’ friends. Here, we get a sense that Joss has no interest in opening up about her mom. Izaak tries to pressure her and tells her that no one in Tedros’ camp can say “no.” This prompts her to ask Izaak to kiss her, but he ironically says no. Although, for good reason as he knows what the consequences would be as Tedros has proven himself to be maniacal.
Things eventually get extremely dark as Jocelyn, Tedros, Leia, Xander, Izaak, and more sit at the dinner table outside. While speaking about her new music, Tedros reveals Xander’s idea about the sexually explicit photo. Joss seems enthused, however, it eventually leads to her admitting that the photo sucks and that she wants to be taken seriously. Subsequently, Tedros gets on her case about this and begins telling her that she needs to start taking risks. Joss isn’t so sure but Xander starts to gang up on her and it everything unravels from there. We then find out that the last song Joss actually wrote herself was called “Daybreak,” a year and a half prior, when Jocelyn’s mom was still alive.
This is where the upsetting nature of the episode kicks in. Tedros coerces Jocelyn into explaining why her mom was so pivotal in her life. That’s when she reveals that her mom abused her with a hairbrush. She would beat Joss with the hairbrush whenever she seemed “unfocused” or “unmotivated” and she learned to live with it. Consequently, when her mom passed away, she felt lost and as though she could not function without the abuse. Stunned, Tedros asks Joss if the abuse would be worth it should she create some of the best music of all time. A tearful Jocelyn answers affirmatively.
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 23: Lily-Rose Depp attends “The Idol” photocall at the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2023 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/FilmMagic)
The episode ends with Tedros getting the hairbrush from Jocelyn, and beating her with it. It is made clear that Tedros wants to continue the cycle of abuse because he believes that’s how the music will get made. The following morning, Joss thanks Tedros for what he’s done, and the episode ends. Overall, it is a shocking, heartbreaking, and upsetting turn of events that may just turn a lot of viewers away from this show for good. It’s hard to fathom where The Idol goes from here.
The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp are co-stars on HBO’s new show, The Idol. Prior to the debut of this show, it was mired in controversy. For instance, there was a report from Rolling Stone that showcased the alleged misconduct that took place on set. Moreover, it got a pretty tepid reaction at Cannes, which is never a good sign. Overall, the critics were panning the show, and it hadn’t even been by viewers at home. Not to mention, it came on following the end of Succession, so there were already lofty expectations.
In the first two episodes, it became clear that the critics got a few things right. The writing has been a bit cringe, to say the least. Moreover, The Weeknd isn’t exactly Daniel Day-Lewis or Denzel Washington. His acting has been a bit rough, and fans are not letting him go unscathed. The Twitter reactions to his performances are a pretty good example of this. Twitter is always a litmus test for people’s cruelty, and that has certainly been the case in relation to The Idol.
The Weeknd Marches On
Lily-Rose Depp et Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) le 23 mai 2023 à Cannes. (Photo by Laurent KOFFEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Last night, we got Episode 3, called “Daybreak.” Overall, this was a pretty upsetting episode that dealt with some very difficult things. Moreover, it saw The Weeknd’s character getting even grimier than he already was. He becomes a controlling and maniacal manipulator in this episode. However, the acting doesn’t exactly match how the character is written. This subsequently led to a lot of comments on Twitter, particularly in relation to a scene where Tedros chews out a stylist at a Valentino store.
Let The Roasting Begin
“The actor in this scene with Tedros deserves an Emmy for not laughing bc I’m sorry that was so funny and not intimidating at all lmao,” one user wrote. “I can’t take Abel serious in this show,” said another. Needless to say, fans are less than impressed with this show so far. While it is certainly provoking some visceral reactions, it’s not doing so in a way that is nuanced or particularly tasteful. Let us know what you think of the show, in the comments below.
The actor in this this scene with Tedros deserves an Emmy for not laughing bc I’m sorry that was so funny and not intimidating at all lmao #THEIDOLpic.twitter.com/fLHeoLUMrE
For some, Sunday is reserved for heading to church to connect with God, and/or practicing self-care. Others, however, prefer to spend the day gearing up for the newest episode of HBO’s wildest series, The Idol. From the mind of The Weeknd, the series stars him and Lily-Rose Depp. So far, her frequent scantily clad scenes have elicited some serious concern from viewers. The first two episodes have definitely gotten audiences talking. On Sunday (June 18), the latest installment of the show only continued to push boundaries.
While not everyone agrees with the NSFW content being shown on-screen, it’s hard to dispute the allure of The Idol‘s soundtrack. Along with each episode, The Weeknd has been sharing a handful of songs on DSPs, some of which feature help from Future and Mike Dean, among other friends. Today, it’s mostly the “Angel” vocalist who holds it down, though he did recruit Moses Sumney for “Get It B4.”
Abel Tesfaye Continues to Make Waves with The Idol
As for Abel Tesfaye, his talents shine first on “A Lesser Man,” then again on “Take Me Back.” No matter how sweet his voice sounds on the track, though, it doesn’t make up for his character, Tedros’ bone-chilling demeanour. If you haven’t yet tuned into The Idol, The Weeknd plays a club owner/cult-leader who sets his eyes on Depp’s character – a budding pop star – as not only a love interest, but also a project of sorts. Due to past trauma of her own, she’s naturally drawn into his bad boy persona, but it doesn’t seem to be leading her anywhere good.
Stream the latest music from HBO’s The Idol on Spotify above, or add it to your playlist on Apple Music. Are you a fan of The Weeknd and Sam Levinson’s controversial new series? Let us know in the comments, and read what the Canadian singer has had to say about all the criticism at the link below.
Is The Idol any good? Audiences and critics are deeply divided. The show, created by Sam Levinson, the man behind Euphoria, has proven deeply controversial. Starring Lily Rose-Depp and The Weeknd, The Idol focuses on the relationship between disgraced popstar Jocelyn (Depp) and DJ/cult leader Tedros (The Weeknd). Controversy has surrounded the show since its production days, with criticism leveled at the likes of The Weeknd.
Viewing figures may paint the show as a success. However, audiences and critics alike have absolutely panned the show. On Rotten Tomatoes, the holds a 25% critic score and a 58% audience score. Episode 2, the most recent episode to be released, was viciously mocked for its sex scenes and incredibly cringey dialogue. Furthermore, sources indicated that HBO is unwilling to greenlight the show for a second season. Despite this, there is likely one major reason it hasn’t been outright canceled.
The Idol Surpasses First-Week Viewing Figures For Other HBO Hits
Viewing for the premiere episode has now surpassed 3.6M viewers in its first week on the service, which HBO says outpaces the series premieres for both The White Lotus (3M in 2021) and Euphoria (3.3M in 2019) in the same time period. pic.twitter.com/W6SmyaZvVg
According to HBO, the premiere of The Idol received 3.6 million views in its first week, surpassing the first-week totals of Season 1 of The White Lotus (3 million) and Euphoria (3.3 million). Furthermore, The Idol continues to top the rankings at televisionstats.com, a site that attempts to quantify online engagement for television shows. However, the site does not account for viewing figures. It is simply a representation of how much a show is being searched for and talked about on social media.
Despite this, is The Idol in a bubble? Viewership dropped 12% between episodes 1 and 2. Furthermore, viewership will likely continue to drop after the overwhelmingly negative reaction to the show’s second episode. By the end of its first season, The White Lotus was averaging 9.3 million viewers. Meanwhile, Euphoria was averaging 6.6 million. Unless things drastically turn around, it’s unlikely that The Idol is going to reach these sorts of numbers before the end of the show. The reaction to The Idol is reminiscent of the reaction to Morbius, another media property everyone talked about but no one actually watched. While The Idol‘s future remains to be seen, it just goes to show that social media should not be used as a gauge of success.
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The Weeknd on the red carpet premiere of “The Idol” at Cannes Film Festival. ” class=”wp-image-688826″ srcset=”https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-weeknd-2-1-1024×683.jpg 1024w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-weeknd-2-1-300×200.jpg 300w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-weeknd-2-1-768×512.jpg 768w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-weeknd-2-1-1536×1024.jpg 1536w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-weeknd-2-1-2048×1365.jpg 2048w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-weeknd-2-1-1500×1000.jpg 1500w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />
