Is The Idol just a sick, twisted ex-girlfriend revenge fantasy for one of its stars?!
The worst rated show in HBO history finally ended its ignominious five-episode run, and now that viewers have the entire series to consider, in toto, there are some THEORIES flying around. The ickiest? This is all The Weeknd’s disgusting Selena Gomez fan fiction!
OK, so we know the show was meant to be run by indie director Amy Seimetz, but she was replaced by Euphoria’s Sam Levinson. In a bombshell exposé, Rolling Stone heard from multiple production sources that Amy left the project with like 80% of the planned six episodes already filmed. Word was the issue was creative differences with The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, who reportedly thought the show had too much “female perspective.” Everything they had got thrown away, at a cost to HBO of an estimated $54-75 MILLION. Levinson was brought in to redo it, and the rest is TV history. HBO ended its run of highly acclaimed Sunday night fare with one of the worst reviewed shows on ANY network.
Related: The Idol Showrunner Laughed While Directing ‘Disturbing’ Rape Scene?
But was The Weeknd driving at something more than just silencing the feminine voice on the show? When he put the show back together with Levinson, was he trying to say something about a particular woman instead??
Some fans think this is Abel trying to get back at his ex, and they have some pretty compelling evidence for why Lily-Rose Depp’s character is supposed to represent her.
Here are all the things Jocelyn has in common with Selena Gomez. First, they’re both pop stars who started out as actors on kids’ TV shows. Obvi Selena was a child star on Wizards of Waverly Place, so it fits. Then again, that’s true of a lot of pop stars over the past few years: Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears, just off the top of our heads. Both Joss and Selly have rocky relationships with their mothers. Again, not unique in child stardom. But it gets more specific. Selena dropped jaws with her Revival album cover — going topless was a big deal for the former Disney kid. Jocelyn did the same thing on The Idol.
REVIVAL pic.twitter.com/i3Wgpr8VMp
— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) September 8, 2015
Then when doing her comeback after canceling her tour in 2016, Selly returned the next year with a music video in which she wore sexy underwear paired with a distinct accessory — her hospital bracelet. Jocelyn did the same thing.
That song, Bad Liar, which was released during her relationship with Abel, also controversially featured sexy moans. In The Idol, Abel’s character, Tedros, coerces Joss into including real moans from their actual sex on her song.
Jocelyn’s BFF Leia is her personal assistant. And Tedros drives a wedge in between them by convincing her Leia is exploiting the friendship with a side business they’re getting into together.
Related: Lily-Rose & The Weeknd React To SNL‘s Chloe Fineman Spoofing The Idol
Selena stans will recognize the dynamic between the Wolves singer and BFF Theresa Mingus. Selly often helps out Theresa’s swimwear brand La Mariette with promos on her peerlessly popular IG account.
And then Lily-Rose basically recreates Selena’s 2017 Instagram breakdown. Hey, isn’t 2017 when The Weeknd and Selena dated? Hmm…
Yeah this man is actually evil toward Selena Gomez. Regardless of how cringey The Idol is, this is just too much to write off.. https://t.co/dUc7hTUPlN pic.twitter.com/NkiinWTxen
— antagonistic nightmare (@toxicexgf) June 28, 2023
If Tedros really is more than just an invention, if he’s The Weeknd’s self-insert character in a fictionalized version of ex Selena Gomez’s life, this is all of a sudden so much more gross.
Don’t get us wrong, novelists and filmmakers often tell semi-autobiographical stories — but this is a show that’s been called “torture porn” in which The Weeknd plays a character who constantly sexually abuses the girl everyone thinks is meant to represent his ex. This is like Justin Timberlake‘s Cry Me A River video on cocaine. Truly, truly icky.
[Image via HBO/YouTube/Selena Gomez/Instagram.]
