The Weeknd hopes The Idol will be “almost educational” for audiences, coming amid constant and mounting backlash against the HBO series.
The Idol may be the most hate-watched show of the year. Every Monday since the premiere, it becomes the trending topic of the day on Twitter, with abhorred viewers (some of whom probably moonlight as fans) sharing aghast reactions to every sultry, icky watercooler moment; this week, it was The Weeknd masturbating in a changing room and his abuse fantasy with Jocelyn.
It was billed as “the sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood”, and it’s living up to that claim. However, early claims of it turning into a “rape fantasy” with the departure of Amy Seimetz certainly aren’t far off the mark, and each episode has its own teacup scandal; for example, the discussion of Robert Plant in Episode 3.
Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, who serves as an executive producer as well as a co-creator with Sam Levinson, isn’t surprised by the response – but he thinks people will “get it” with a bit of time.
The Weeknd says he “expected” The Idol backlash
In a new interview with Variety, The Weeknd was asked if he was at all discouraged by the negative reception to The Idol. “No, no, that very much expected,” he said.
“Brian De Palma is a huge inspiration for all this, and of course [Paul] Verhoeven. But look, we’re playing with genres with this show, we’re doing exactly what we wanted to do. And none of this is a surprise. I’m excited for everyone to watch the rest of the show.”
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The musician was also asked if working on the series has made him feel differently about fame. “Well, my goal was for people to feel that way when they watch it, you know, and that they’ll reassess it,” he said.
“It’s almost educational, that this is what comes with being incredibly famous. You’re surrounded by people who you’re not sure what their true intentions are, even if it seems like they’re good. You just never know. But of course, I’ve been very fortunate to have people around me that I’ve known almost my entire life, which is important, and is a gift.”
He also responded to a fan who said The Idol is “real and a lot of people just don’t get it”, writing: “They will… I promise, give it time. Until then enjoy the show for yourself.”
The Idol Episodes 1-3 are available to stream on Max now, while Episode 4 will drop on June 25. You can check out our other coverage below: