Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, along with Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim have created one of the most controversial shows in television history with The Idol. Though the show got a green light from HBO despite the rough script and its reworks, it has been receiving backflash and criticism for just about everything, be it the subject matter, sex scenes, or the story.
The narrative of The Idol, which centers around a rising pop singer Jocelyn (Lily Rose-Depp) being abused and manipulated by self-help guru and cult leader Tedros (The Weeknd), has generated a lot of controversy. But the wildest theory that has come out of the plethora of Twitter and Reddit discussions about the show has blown everyone’s mind. Recently, a TikTok user created a more than a minute-long video explaining how The Idol might be based on the life of the famous pop icon Selena Gomez.
The TikTok, which reads “The Idol is based off of Selena Gomez’s life in 2016/2017. Selena IS Jocelyn” draws various similarities between the events of The Idol, specifically the series’ lead Jocelyn, and Selena Gomez.
The similarities pointed out by the user first featured Jocelyn’s hospital bracelet photoshoot, which has an uncanny resemblance to Selena Gomez wearing a yellow hospital wristband in the music video for “Bad Liar.” Interestingly enough, fans immediately speculated that “Bad Liar” was about Selena’s real-life blooming 10-month relationship with The Weeknd when the song was released in 2017. The example of “Bad Liar” comes again as fans speculated that Selena is moaning while singing, similar to how Jocelyn moans while singing as she is with Tedros.
Both The Idol’s lead Jocelyn, and our favorite pop icon Selena were child stars who got fame early in their life and had to struggle through stardom and the expectations that come with it. The next similarity drawn between the reel Jocelyn and the real Selena is the Topless album cover that Selena recalled “was a choice” that she “wasn’t necessarily happy” to have made. It is a reference to her 2015 studio album, Revival. Jocelyn canceling her tour in The Idol due to mental health is also compared to Selena Gomez canceling her Revival tour in 2016 citing anxiety and depression as the reason.
Another crazy similarity between Jocelyn and Selena’s story is how the two collaborated with their assistant, who they call their best friend. Given that The Weeknd dated Selena in real life, he was often seen dressing Selena up, a scene recreated in The Idol where Tedros comes up with outfits for Jocelyn. Ever since the TikTok has been posted, fans of the show and Selena Gomez have gone crazy over it. While some are of the opinion that this is a bit of a stretch, some actually believe that certain events of the story might have been inspired by Selena Gomez’s life.
Thus far, the rumors are just that – rumors. The Idol is a show about the unseen ins and outs of the music industry, so it naturally shares similarities with the lives of many pop stars. No official comments have been made by any of The Idol’s representatives or Selena Gomez about the show drawing inspiration from her life. The Idol is not based on any real-life story according to its credits.