The Idol

The Idol does not currently have a release date but is set to air at some point during 2023 starring The Weeknd, Lily-Rose Depp, Dan Levy, Eli Roth, Troye Sivan ...

The editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone Noah Shachtman, responded to the tweet saying, "Not at all!" They said: "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. He shared the same clip on Twitter with the same caption. Honestly, I think HBO handed her a s**t stack." In November 2021 HBO ordered it to series. They added: "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.”

Lily-Rose Depp jumped to the defence of 'The Idol' director Sam Levinson after furious crew members spoke out under anonymity to brand the show torture porn ...

Sam Levinson, creator of Euphoria, is receiving backlash for new HBO show The Idol after 13 sources tell Rolling Stone describe scripts as 'rape fantasy'.

[Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/the-idol-hbo-next-euphoria-torture-porn-the-weeknd-sam-levinson-lily-rose-depp-blackpink-jennie-1234688754/) how The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp starring The Idol has become a “shitshow” full of “torture porn” and female objectification. The scripts from Sam Levinson allegedly contained extremely disturbing and violent content that never ended up being filmed, but one centred around Depp’s character begging The Weeknd’s to be raped after she was tasked to hold an egg inside her genitals and another where she was beaten by a cult leader who gets an erection. The Weeknd allegedly was unhappy with Amy Seimetz vision for the show, because he felt it leant too much into the “female perspective”. She left the show and Sam Levinson came in and took over and started it all from scratch. and then [for HBO] to turn around and have Sam get essentially a blank check to turn it into ‘Euphoria Season Three with pop stars’ is extremely, extremely frustrating.” The show was initially meant to be about female sexuality and satirising and condemning the dark nature of Hollywood, but after rewrites and walkouts from crew the show has allegedly morphed into something more sinister entirely.

Sam Levinson's vision for The Idol has been described as “any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have.”

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.” “We look forward to sharing The Idol with audiences soon.” Someone else summarized: “the idol fiasco especially alarming because it shows that men can really just drop in on a whim and ruin a woman’s entire work. None of this would have happened if Abel didn’t fire the female director cause he didn’t like the fact the show focused on the ‘female perspective.’” In a statement that was provided by HBO, the actor said: “Sam is, for so many reasons, the best director I have ever worked with. The rewrites are said to have included “extreme” sexual and violent content.

The Weeknd has trolled Rolling Stone following the title's investigation into his HBO show The Idol. The show has been mired in chaos, with its production.

In turn, The Weeknd has lashed out at the title on social media. Abel writes: “did we upset you?” [Rolling Stone commissioned an in-depth investigation](https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/the-idol-hbo-next-euphoria-torture-porn-the-weeknd-sam-levinson-lily-rose-depp-blackpink-jennie-1234688754/) into The Idol, and claims the production, writing, and staff have been mishandled.

HBO's The Idol, created by Sam Levinson and The Weeknd, is causing controversy. Here's what to know about the behind-the-scenes drama, cast, ...

He hires people whose work he esteems and has always created an environment in which I felt seen, heard, and appreciated." The Idol is a provocative drama series which Levinson co-created with Abel Tesfaye, [better known as R&B star The Weeknd](https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/the-weeknd-relationship-history-bella-hadid-selena-gomez/). "Never have I felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input and opinions more valued. he asked in the accompanying tweet. The Idol follows Jocelyn, an aspiring singer whose career is faltering after she was forced to cancel her tour due to a nervous breakdown. The cast also includes K-Pop singer Jennie Kim, horror maestro Eli Roth, Dan Levy, Troye Sivan, Suzanna Son, Moses Sumney, Rachel Sennott, Hari Nef, and Hank Azaria.

It went from satire to the thing it was satirising,” a source told Rolling Stone magazine of HBO's upcoming series, 'The Idol'.

“What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century,” one production source told the magazine. Creative differences were cited at that point, with [The Weeknd reportedly feeling](https://deadline.com/2022/04/the-idol-hbo-suzanna-son-1235010740/) that show had embraced too much of a “female perspective.” It was insane,” they said. Instead, “it went from satire to the thing it was satirising.” [Euphoria](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/men-of-the-year/article/sydney-sweeney-cassie-euphoria-season-3) showrunner Sam Levinson and [The Weeknd](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/the-weeknd-jenna-ortega-barry-keoghan-film), starring Lily-Rose Depp and Troye Sivan, has been delayed countless times over the last year. Even so, with the massive popularity of Levinson's Gen-Z drama in mind, the hype has been off the charts for [The Idol](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/the-idol-hbo-trailer), marketed as an even more R-rated, risqué offer than its spiritual predecessor.

Following the incendiary report published by Rolling Stone about the behind-the-scenes of HBO's The Idol, the show's lead and co-creator, Abel Tesfaye a.k.a ...

Club, a source claimed that “When you see the show you will understand these rumors are false.” Other sources have told The clip ultimately poses the question, are we supposed to be aligning our view with the “modern day cult-leader” who exploits and abuses young women, or are we supposed to see him as a clown with no expertise on media relations? This is unfortunately something we will not know for sure until the show premieres, but there still is no set release day for the 6-episode season. The clip does however show a lot about the quality of acting, dialogue, and directing that all the firing, check cashing, and rewrites have resulted in. The Weeknd has [shared a snippet](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpQvI7mLpFq/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a178cbcb-39ce-471e-9aca-5c8c05a2fdb9) from the forthcoming series in which his cult-leader character calls the publication “irrelevant.” It’s also a bit bold to belittle a publication that’s put you on the cover three times, but you do you, we guess.

The Toronto pop star responded to the music magazine's report that the upcoming series has “gone wildly, disgustingly off the rails.”

“The Idol” tells the story of a pop star, played by Rose Depp, who becomes romantically involved with a self-help guru and cult leader, played by Tesfaye. Levinson’s “Euphoria” is currently one of HBO’s most popular shows and has made an undeniable impact on the cultural zeitgeist. In the summer of 2021, Tesfaye announced that he was creating, producing and co-writing a drama series for HBO alongside his frequent production partner Reza Fahim and Sam Levinson. The show boasts an impressive cast, including Canadian comedian Dan Levy and the late actor Anne Heche in her final role. “On a show where you’re the co creator, star, one of few credited writers and probably also an EP (executive producer). Tesfaye did not respond to requests for comment by Rolling Stone, but shared a tweet on Wednesday evening.

In response to claims of a toxic work environment under Sam Levinson, The Weeknd released a bizarre clip from The Idol blasting Rolling Stone.

The Rolling Stone report claimed that The Idol was headed in a similar direction under Levinson's supervision. While Rolling Stone gave the first season of Euphoria [a positive review](https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/euphoria-review-zendaya-845443/), the publication’s longtime television critic Alan Sepinwall was [less enthused](https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/euphoria-season-2-review-1278174/) by the show’s second season. The Rolling Stone article, via its sources, appeared to suggest that HBO was turning a blind eye to the on-set toxicity because Levinson is seen as the golden goose who gave them Euphoria. But the new direction, according to the Rolling Stone report which cites as many as 13 sources who worked on the show, was marred by budget overruns, unfinished scripts, and a drastic alteration of the show’s original themes. This happened in April 2022, and HBO at the time stressed that efforts had been aligned to send the series in a “new creative direction.” [The Idol](https://collider.com/the-idol-series-trailer-the-weeknd-abel-tesfaye-lily-rose-depp-hbo/) had descended into chaos — the most logical options being an apology or a denial — he chose to address it in maybe the most bizarre fashion possible.