The Weeknd Defends ‘The Idol’ Amid Claims That It’s Gone ‘Off The Rails’ | 93.7 KRQ | CPT PPP Coverage

The Weeknd and his collaborators are defending their upcoming HBO show The Idol after a recent report claimed that the show had gone “off the rails.” On Wednesday, March 1st, Rolling Stone published a story that interviewed 13 members of the show’s cast and crew. The sources claimed that after creative clashes and toxicity on the set, the show “went from satire to the thing it was satirizing.” The Idol is reportedly centered on “a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye), who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop idol (Lily-Rose Depp).”

Following the report, The Weeknd sent a tweet to Rolling Stone asking them, “Did we upset you?” He also included a clip from the show in which his and Depp’s characters call the publication “irrelevant” and “past its prime.”

With Sam Levinson, best known for the hit show Euphoria, coming on as the director, one production member claimed, “It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show — and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better.”

Depp also sent her own statement to Rolling Stone calling Levinson, “the best director” she’s ever worked with and has never “felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input and opinions more valued.” 

HBO also sent a statement to People denying the accusation made by the sources in Rolling Stone‘s report. “The creators and producers of The Idol have been working hard to create one of HBO’s most exciting and provocative original programs. 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,” it read. “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.”