The Weeknd has fired back at Rolling Stone for calling his upcoming HBO series The Idol “torture porn,” dismissing the long-running publication as “irrelavant.”
Rolling Stonepublished an article on Wednesday (March 1) claiming the filming of the show — which follows an aspiring pop star — descended into a “shitshow” following the departure of original director Amy Seimetz.
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The outlet spoke to 13 cast and crew members, with one person describing the series as “sexual torture porn.” Another said: “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.”
The Weeknd, who co-created The Idol and has a leading role, took to Twitter later that day to respond to Rolling Stone by posting an exclusive clip from the show. In it, his character, Tedros, calls the publication “irrelevant.”
“So, Rolling Stone came back to us about a cover and I think it’s worth pursuing,” a character played by Dan Levy tells Tedros and Lily-Rose Depp’s character, Jocelyn.
Tedros responds: “Rolling Stone? Aren’t they a little… irrelevant?”
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Jocelyn adds: “Yeah, I don’t know. I think it might be kinda past its prime, do you know what I mean?”
Tedros then says: “Nobody cares about Rolling Stone” and claims most of their Instagram followers are bots.
“Rolling Stone has six million followers on Instagram, half of them probably bots,” he says. “And Jocelyn has 78 million followers, all real, I’d assume.
“So, she does a photoshoot, she tags them, they get her followers. More money for Rolling Stone, nothing for Jocelyn.”
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“@RollingStone did we upset you?” The Weeknd wrote in his tweet, further taunting the publication.
Rolling Stone‘s editor-in-chief, Noah Shachtman, then responded to The Weeknd’s jab, tweeting: “Not at all!” while sharing images of the singer on the cover of its magazine in 2015 and 2020.
Not at all! https://t.co/jKuDh7xAHQpic.twitter.com/TgLkYvsG9n
— Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) March 1, 2023
The Idol was co-created by The Weeknd, Reza Fahim and Sam Levinson, who’s behind HBO’s hit series Euphoria. A premiere date for the series has yet to be announced.
In a statement to The Independent about The Idol, HBO said: “The creators and producers of The Idol have been working hard to create one of HBO’s most exciting and provocative original programs.
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“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.
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“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.”
The Weeknd is set to continue his acting career with his first feature film alongside Oscar-nominated The Banshees of Inisherin actor Barry Keoghan and Wednesday star Jenna Ortega. The currently untitled film will also be produced by the XO crooner.
