The Idols‘ creator, Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd) has responded to criticisms surfaced by a Rolling Stone report which alleged that the show subjected its cast and crew to “disturbing sexual content.” Unfortunately, the artist’s response didn’t help the situation, according to online reactions.
A clip from The Idol was posted on The Weeknd’s Twitter account where he and Lily-Rose Depp poked fun at the publication as the show’s characters. Tedros (played by Tesfaye) and Jocelyn (played by Depp) comment on how “irrelevant” Rolling Stone is and how the publication is “past its prime”. He also suggests Rolling Stone’s followers are bots, while Jocelyn’s followers are real. Tesfaye’s character also explains his theory that Rolling Stone will get views and clicks by using Jocelyn’s image. Meanwhile, she gets nothing in return.
Alongside the video, The Weeknd tagged Rolling Stone, asking, “did we upset you?”
Unfortunately, not everyone was happy with this response. Some claimed that it makes the artist look bad since it disregarded how the female cast members were treated on set. Some also believed that The Weeknd is also to blame for what was reported since he enabled Sam Levinson to get away with his questionable conduct during production.
According to the Rolling Stone report in question, 13 anonymous cast and crew members told the publication that the production for The Idol isn’t what they signed up for. One claimed that the show was meant to be a “dark satire” of fame but ended up becoming the thing it was satirizing. It was also reported that Tesfaye was unhappy with the original story since it “focused too much on Depp’s character” and he wanted to drop the “feminist lens”.
Meanwhile, others claimed that when Euphoria‘s Levinson took over the show as director, he made multiple changes to the script that “weakened the show’s overarching message” by increasing the sexual content and nudity. One producer also claimed that the new script was like “any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show.”
Variety reported that HBO has begun disputing claims from the Rolling Stone article, alongside other crew members who were involved in the show. In a statement given to Variety, HBO said that it is dedicated to “creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful” working environment. It also claimed that the team made “creative changes” that felt were in “the best interest” of everyone involved in the show.
“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.”
Depp has also commented on the allegations made against Levinson, claiming that he was “the best director she has ever worked with” and that her input and opinions were valued by him.
“Sam is, for so many reasons, the best director I have ever worked with. Never have I felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input and opinions more valued. Working with Sam is a true collaboration in every way — it matters to him, more than anything, not only what his actors think about the work, but how we feel performing it. He hires people whose work he esteems and has always created an environment in which I felt seen, heard, and appreciated.”
The Idol was first announced in June 2021 and will include six episodes in its first season. A trailer was first released back in Oct 2022 and it will air on HBO sometime in 2023.