The Weeknd And Lily-Rose Depp Respond To Rolling Stone’s Report That Their Show “The Idol” Is A Disturbing Train Wreck
The Idol, an upcoming HBO show starring singer Abel “The Weeknd“ Tesfaye and nepo baby, Lily-Rose Depp, made headlines yesterday after a Rolling Stone article alleged that the show is a mess both behind and in front of the cameras. The show, which was co-created by Euphoria’s Sam Levinson, got an overhaul last year and allegedly because The Weeknd didn’t like that episodes were focused too much on “the female perspective.” The Idol’s original director, Amy Seimetz, ended up leaving the show, and Sam Levinson took over. And well, 13 people who worked on the show during its overhaul claim that Sam’s scripts involved Lily-Rose’s character getting raped and beaten. HBO already responded to the article and defended The Idol and its creators, but didn’t address any of the specific allegations. Now it’s The Weeknd and Lily-Rose’s turn to defend the show from RS’ article, and The Weeknd is definitely pissy about it. Not as mad as when he didn’t get a Grammy nomination, but he called RS “irrelevant” on Twitter and Instagram–so he obviously really wants us to know it.
First up is Lily-Rose Depp who gave a statement to People, praising Sam:
“Sam is, for so many reasons, the best director I have ever worked with,” she said. “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,” she continued. “He hires people whose work he esteems and has always created an environment in which I felt seen, heard, and appreciated.”
While Lily-Rose’s PR team probably wrote that, I don’t think publicists helped with writing The Weeknd’s response. He decided to do the mature thing and skipped over any kind of statement and just posted a clip of the show and called RS “irrelevant.”
In the video, Depp and The Weeknd’s characters are dismayed when a manager (Dan Levy) suggests the pop star appear on the cover of Rolling Stone, calling the publication “irrelevant” and “past its prime.”
Despite The Weeknd’s veiled dig, a source with knowledge of production tells PEOPLE the footage had not been seen by the public, or Rolling Stone, ahead of Wednesday’s article and that it was filmed sometime last year.
Here’s the clip where The Weeknd roasts RS for having fewer Instagram followers than this fictional pop star. Ah yes, Instagram followers–the mark of true relevance. Talent? Finesse? No. Instagram followers.
terrible acting, terrible dialogue, terrible lace front…this was NAWT a gag https://t.co/zlDIWqxVJZ
— outroseokss⁷🪞 (@callmebyyourjin) March 1, 2023
That wig… that WIG… I mean… how do you scrap millions of dollars worth of footage and production values, and somehow that fucking wig survives the chop? Even famous awful wig chooser Tyler Perry would look at this wig and say, “Girl, no.”
Pic: HBO