The Weeknd is on Rolling Stone’s neck following a recent claim surrounding the set of HBO’s The Idol. The Weeknd shared a snippet of his upcoming series, where he throws shade at the publication. In the clip, we see self-help guru Tedros (played by The Weeknd) seated poolside with Jocelyn (played by Lily-Rose Depp) conversing with Dan Levy’s character. When a Rolling Stone cover story is mentioned, Tedros dismisses the publication as “irrelevant,” mirroring his own feelings towards them.
“Rolling Stone? Aren’t they a little irrelevant?” Tedros asks. Levy explained how the publication is a “heritage brand” before Jocelyn said they’re “past its prime.” “Nobody cares about Rolling Stone … Rolling Stone has 6 million followers on Instagram, half of them probably bots. And Jocelyn has 78 million followers. All real. So she does a photoshoot, she tags them, they get her followers, more money for Rolling Stone, nothing for Jocelyn.” The Weeknd captioned the clip, “@rollingstone did we upset you?”
Rolling Stone’s Report On The Weeknd’s “The Idol”
Rolling Stone shared a report consisting of interviews with 11 members of the cast and crew who detailed the chaotic production. First, Amy Seimetz was announced to direct all six episodes before leaving the series as part of a “major creative overhaul.” However, the report details an alleged “shitshow” behind the scenes that has veered far from the central message that was initially conveyed in the story. “It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing,” one source said. Another added described parts of the script – which have not been filmed – “like sexual torture porn.”
HBO issued a statement to Complex following the bombshell report. “The initial approach on the show and production of the early episodes, unfortunately, did not meet HBO standards so we chose to make a change. Throughout the process, the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew. We look forward to sharing The Idol with audiences soon.”